


Can You Trust Me?

by YuriKah



Category: Mass Effect
Genre: F/F, Fluff and Smut, Hurt/Comfort, Lesbian Sex, Light Angst, Light Dom/sub, Loss of Identity, Post-Series, Romance, Violence
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-04-27
Updated: 2015-05-11
Packaged: 2018-03-26 01:17:18
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 9
Words: 31,754
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3831787
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/YuriKah/pseuds/YuriKah
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Ten years have passed since the end of the Reaper War and the effects have been carved into the galaxy. Lone orphan Sky Atlas travels to Omega in order to find herself a new home and to escape the politics that try to blind the galaxy surrounding the effects of the Crucible. </p>
<p>Alone and with only the barest memories of her life prior to the war, she finds herself in the midst of the Galaxy's newest threat and in a confusing relationship with Aria: Queen of Omega.</p>
<p>(Control Ending is considered canon for this story).</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. A Decade Beyond War

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first long-running fan-fiction I have every attempted. I'm glad I'm getting it out. It's obviously meant to be my take on the universe after the events of the Mass Effect Trilogy as close as possible whilst considering the level of variety that the series has to offer in terms of the impact of choices. Regardless I hope everyone enjoys~
> 
> Upload schedule will be completely random. I have 10 chapters completed but I have been known to be a procrastinator sometimes, hopefully I'll never be subject to lengthy absences but I promise nothing.

She told me once that enjoying a partner was something she’d never experience, and true whilst it wasn’t me that corrected her on that, I certainly was the first to fully experience her love like no other could.

But first maybe some context is relevant? Who am I? Where did I come from? And how did I end up as the lover of the Queen of thieves, murderers and pirates? My name is Sky Atlas. Or that’s what I chose as my moniker when I arrived on Omega.

My story is not a happy or pleasant one, not just because of a single young girl’s suffering but because I was just one of billions of innocents who suffered at the hands of the enemy: The Reapers.

I was only six years old when they invaded council space, destroying the Turians feared armada within days, turning the beautiful Asari home-world into rubble and scorching the Earth until it resembled nothing but blackened rock. I hid in bombed out ruins of a once proud London, watching Alliance soldiers cry in fear as the bodies of previously deceased humans hunted them down and tore flesh from bone. I whimpered to myself, begging for some hero to save me, some angelic figure to pull me from the cold debris that I clung to for safety and to take me away from all the death and destruction. But nobody came for me. Just because we won the war, just because the Reapers magically stopped and started aiding us in rebuilding our cities didn’t mean all was forgotten.

I lost everything. 

My parents shipped out to fight the Reaper forces and died on first contact. I stayed with friends in their bunker, taking part in sing-alongs to try and distract us from the constant gunfire and rhythmic explosions overhead. Disillusionment was the only defence to the fear we all felt and whenever I acknowledged our true reality I felt like I was being choked by a vice-like grip. But our ignorance of true suffering only lasted for so long as soon I found I was the only one left alive. Too hungry, thirsty, tired and emotionally drained to try and leave or protect myself. It could have been days, weeks or months before it all ended. I had no way of knowing and I didn’t care at all. I wanted death to find me, to relieve me of this horrific nightmare I couldn’t seem to wake from.

And then it came. The brightest shock of blue, like a calm serene flash reminiscent of the Sky and ocean mixed into one passionate array of azure. It passed over everything and soon the Reapers retreated far away with their minions pulling me from the remnants of my home and fixing my broken limbs.  
At first the Alliance and Council forces wanted to continue hostilities, I didn’t blame them with the situation being flipped without warning and left us all dazed and confused as to how our once destroyers were now saving the lives of the injured and dying. 

We never got a straight answer from anyone, the top brass of all races merely stated it as “classified” but told us that a true hero had given her life to stop the Reapers and make them our allies. It pissed me off, they stole so much from me, hurt me so much and yet they were all but given a free pass for genocide. I had seen the reports, the news of abductions and piles of bodies being processed into their ground troops. It made me so angry, so unbelievably infuriated that I left council space. I couldn’t live with people who would stand there and accept the Reapers as our new ‘protectors’. I knew I wasn’t the only one who hated the contradiction, but I was the only one who seemed as if they didn’t want to live with it.

All kinds of projects, foundations and charities offered young children a place to call home if they had lost their families. I rejected it, or more accurately I stole away on a separate ship headed towards Omega and never looked back. I was 12 years old when I first set foot on Omega. My blood red hair hidden behind my black hoodie, piercing blue eyes trying to find something that wasn’t so offensively similar in colour to my hair. I didn’t pack much, just a few copies of the clothing I had on besides my hoodie, black vests, lacy undergarments, black -shorts and laced up brown combat boots. I walked down the hallways of Omega and stared out in the dark expanse of space, littered with asteroids in every direction. The damp putrid smell of vomit and alcohol littered the space station, it certainly wasn’t befit for Royals (made even more evident by the yelling, swearing and brawling that was happening constantly) but I was away from the place where my painful memories dogged me. I could move on from it. I could be freed of it.

 

Ten years past where I did odd jobs for the gangs of Omega before I made the biggest mistake of my life and ended up practically on trial in front of Aria. I was a gifted biotic, one of the strongest my fellow mercenaries had ever seen in a human, comparing me to someone called Jack (a biotic I would have experiences with, both positive and negative) and we used my abilities as you would expect, robberies, murders and everything in between. I felt so powerful, so invincible, every night we would celebrate with the strongest drinks, perfect girls and plenty of credits to indulge myself with whatever I fancied. I made a big name for myself as the beautiful, deadly and ill-tempered biotic.  
And that’s when Aria took notice of me. 

Under any other circumstance my next job would have been an audition to work under her, and boy did I learn later on being under her was a fantastic bonus, however the job I took for the Blue Suns was stealing from the Queen of Omega herself. And since she was taking notice of me, my actions were being closely monitored as it were. The details of the job are unimportant (stealing some supposedly famous artwork from her personal apartment) what is important however, is what followed after entering Aria’s apartment.

 

I uploaded the VI codes needed to unlock the door to Aria’s apartment, they were easy to obtain as even Aria’s most loyal men had their price after all. I waited for the door to close after bypassing security, not an accomplishment that can be overstated, waiting for the gentle connection of the top half of the door to drop down into the bottom half that shot up from the ground below. I took careful steps, I was assured that Aria would be at Afterlife for the night and her security with her too but I didn’t want to take any unnecessary risks, after all if the Queen of thieves found out I had broken into her apartment and stolen from her I would be screwed to put it lightly. I kept the bright blue pulse of my biotics at the ready in case anyone surprised me.

The apartment itself would have been an ego boost for anyone, even if you were the ruler of Omega, plenty of halls branching off from one-another with the single one I had entered through leading into the main room. A spiralling crystal staircase leading up to a glass floor above the main room filled with furniture, televisions, artwork and whatever else you could imagine. Everything was extravagantly amazing and expensive, things that I could only dream of seeing let alone owning. The apartment was dimly light however, so my sight was restricted to the shape of the images further into the back of the room, the only light shaping images was a the darkened crimson of the Omega nightline and skyscrapers that elongated the shadows of the room to an eerie length. I balled my hands into fists and looked for my objective. 

I peeked and looked around the whole room until I found the object in question, a painting of a renaissance women by Leonardo Da Vinci, a name I recognised but I had been so long without any real contact to an educated human on the matter that I had no idea of why the man was so revered. It looked like a simple woman who couldn’t decide if she was smiling or not. Though it was still better than anything I could paint. I chuckled to myself as I compared it to the picture I had been given of it.

“Bingo. And the biggest score of the century goes to Sky Atlas…” I smirked at my certain victory until the lights all over the apartment switched on simultaneously and the click of a gun came from right behind me. “Crap…” I cursed my luck and began to turn around when a strong hand yanked my hood down and smashed my head against the wall by the painting. I couldn’t see my attacker but I knew they had the physical edge over me so there was little chance of me struggling my way out of the current situation without the use of my biotics.

“Thanks for giving me the name of the bitch who felt like they could steal from me!” Her voice was beautiful, deadly and seductive. I didn’t expect a woman to get the better of me physically but her clasp on my head felt overwhelming and agonising.

“A-Aria?!” I exclaimed wildly and with good reason, for a moment I thought someone had ratted me out to her since she was meant to be in Afterlife. But no, she was here, body pressed against mine with the intent of crushing my head against the wall. As it was she didn’t seem to take too kindly to me referring to her by name.

“What made you think that stealing from me was a smart idea?” She brought her mouth to rim of my ear and asked her question while emphasising her desire for an answering by placing her pistol to the middle of my back.

“Didn’t think I’d caught that’s why…plus the score seemed worth it” I smirked as she kneed me in the back of both my legs and causing me to collapse down to my knees. She was as tough as she was beautiful, the pain in my legs made my whole body shiver from the aching. She grabbed my hair and pulled my around to look at her and take in the violet shade that made up her skin. Despite having a gun to my chin and anger permeating in every inch of her body I am not afraid to admit I was turned on. She was sexy, domineering and I did have a bit of a fetish at being dominated by beautiful women.

“Think it’s worth it now?” she snickered as she rolled my chin with the gun, teasing the trigger slightly as a bead of sweat rolled down my brow. 

I very visibly gulped “From this perspective? Oh Hell yes…” I managed whatever smile I could as my mouth twitched in fear at what would be my certain demise. What happened next I didn’t expect. She knelt down to my level as I sat on my inner thighs like the small child I was in comparison both her age and resolute power, gun still held under my chin she tilted my head to her new location and smiled deviously at the control over me.

“I’ve heard a lot about you Sky. I know about everything that goes on in Omega. I know everything about you. I was thinking about making you an employee of mine” she rolled my head again, turning me either side to inspect me further. She softly stroked my hair and ran it between her finger and thumb. “Now, what should I do to punish this little upstart?” again, it wasn’t a huge surprise her knowing about me given the movements I’d been making as a sell-sword of sorts. Number one rule of Omega: Don’t fuck with Omega, and Aria was the embodiment of Omega itself. I had well and truly fucked with Omega with the consequences surely to follow. 

“I-I can think of a few things…” I tried to keep a façade of confidence, but Aria had been in this line of work much longer than me. She could easily tell when someone was fabricating an emotion or lying to her. The point was the same regardless of confidence though, fuck Aria and keep my life or rebel against her and die? Easy choice for a survivor like me. Plus at this point her teasing and dominance had kindled my fire into an inferno.

I recall vividly what happened next, Aria grasped me like an Eagle would clutch onto its prey when hunting and dragged me up the stairs before pushing me down onto the purple blanketed bed below in the middle of the room on the second floor of her apartment. I didn’t bother looking at the decorations at that time as I was much, much more preoccupied with the stripping Aria in front of me. 

Had I thought of using my biotics to escape? No, because that would have been a stupid idea. If I somehow managed to get a cheap shot off on Aria and escape it wouldn’t matter, she would have known my name and face and she’d hunt me down to the ends of known space. And I knew of her Biotics. Everyone did on Omega, as strong as I was I had never gone up against an Asari; the race heralded for their natural expertise with both element zero and biotic powers. I’d have been dead in seconds.  
And anyway this situation had escalated perfectly for me, now Aria was smiling artfully at me as she ran her hands down over her own perfectly shaped breasts and straddled my hips. I considered if this was a regular activity she performed with thieves and burglars of her personal possessions. Probably not given her reputation so I felt privileged, ignoring the gun still firmly held to my gut.

“You’re mine from now on got it? Mine. You work for me and me alone. You get fucked by me and me alone” Aria wasn’t giving me an offer, hell no that opportunity to be a mindless drone of hers had passed me by the moment I agreed to steal from her. No, now I was something lesser than a drone, but much more at the same time. She was demanding me to be her personal plaything, and I liked that idea. I was being given the opportunity to work for the closest thing to royalty on Omega and be given freedom from freedom. To be pampered and toyed with as much as she deemed was necessary. 

“Yes, Lady A-” I was cut short of subjugation to Aria when her finger graced my lips, her soft skin gently caressing my ruby lips.

“Mistress” she corrected me as she brought her lips to my ear and breathed a husky breath that brushed my skin and made me squeal with desire, it was obvious that my attempted stealing from her wasn’t going to give me rewards alone, she was justified to both be angry and refuse my right at using her name. A small punishment, as well as slightly exciting over referring to her by such a title. 

She went about removing my clothing until I was in nothing but my underwear and boots, I suppose the boots were a preference of hers, like I had the right to judge. She ran her hands over my buxom chest to my pleasured moans and forced my leg open with her knee, I was prepared to offer everything to her and she needn’t even ask. “Are you going to be a good slave? Will you obey everything I say?” she accentuated her already present control over me by rubbing the pistol against the lining of my panties. The small blasts of pleasure weren’t enough to keep me sustained, they were maddening and I needed more. I could feel my breaths becoming ragged as I lost control over my faculties and gave into my lust.

“Oh God yes Mistress! I’ll do anything for you! Please fuck me please!” I begged her as I clutched the sheets below me in my hands. And like that I was Aria’s, hers to command and control. She dropped the gun by the side of my head and stood off of me before throwing her clothes back on. I must have looked apprehensive and frightened at the loss of her skin against mine. But before long she straddled me again, I sighed disappointed at loss of her perfect perky breasts. She snaked an arm under me and unhooked my bra before tossing it aside.

“That was all I need. You’re not going to be lucky enough to touch me tonight.” I expected to finally receive pleasure but found her hand gripped around my neck robbing me of precious oxygen not unlike how I attempted to steal from her. “But if you ever fuck me over, or fuck someone other than me, I won’t let your death be quick. Understand?” To be frank Aria was exactly what I expected of her: Possessive, controlling, overprotective of herself and her interests. She sounded stern and were it not for the fear of being choked to death I probably wouldn’t have answered so hastily. 

“Y-Yes I understand! I-I’m all yours!” I choked out my answer and felt her hand release its grip over my throat, red marks stained my throat from her tight hold. She gently stroked at the result of her dominance and gently kissed my throat to alert me she was done with the roughness of her domination. Her eyes traced my form, taking in every curve and dip in my physique. And eventually she noticed something that I was frightened of being detected: the dark scar on the left side of my lower abdomen. The scar that I was left with from the burning rubble I was trapped under when the Reapers attacked my home. It darkened in comparison to the pale complexion of my milky flesh. Her expression changed from the stoic and harsh demeanour she usually wore when exercising her duties as the ruler of Omega. She looked sympathetic, I hated sympathetic. I hated the scars, they reminded me of everything I lost. It was like someone decided for all the pain and loss I had been given, a permanent branding by fire was a suitable replacement like they were an equal transaction. Still I felt a bit different with Aria about my scars, I wanted to let her know I trusted her to be my Mistress, to dominate and control me. I guided her fingertips over my wounds and let her run her soft digits on the rough and bumpy skin. Small sparks of stimulation made me jerk at the mere touch of the warped skin. 

“A sad story I take it?” I didn’t know why she asked at first, until I noticed the tears drip down the sides of my cheeks. Embarrassed, I attempted to dry my eyes but found my hands in Aria’s grip and held to the bed below. She wanted the point addressed, that much was obvious with the determination in her eyes. They studied me in detail and I couldn’t help but feel the blush on my cheeks and ears burn until I couldn’t take anymore. Anyone would agree it would be an odd feeling to be embarrassed by the person effectively holding you hostage. Yet that was the bizarre situation we were occupied in.

“Earth. They burnt my house until every memory within was reduced to ash. I hid inside some rubble but the flames still found me.” I explained as quickly as I could. Not wanting to focus on the pain the memories presented me, it wasn’t the type of pain anyone wanted to feel or remember. Least of all someone who had suffered that pain. 

Aria nodded. She took up position between my legs and pulled my panties down. I never wanted my first time with a new partner to be so emotional, especially given the nature of the relationship. Moments ago Aria was threatening to kill me and now she was attempting to comfort me. It was a very strange thing indeed. Soon I found myself naked before Aria, a strange mix of apprehension, nervousness and embarrassment rattled around my entire body as I laid in the dim light that bounced off the walls around us and let me perceive her beautifully clothed figure.

 

What happened next was truly magnificent. With every movement she made, every teasing gesture as well as every unforgiving and impatient order my body set alight with pleasure and pain as she branded me as her own. 

One finger. Two fingers. Three fingers. A smack of the hand. Sucking and biting on every node of flesh.

Fuck whether I expected or wanted it she moved up a gear before I had even mentally prepared myself for it. And God I loved it. I still crave it right now. I’ve never touched Red Sand or any of the other biotic stimuli so I’d never known addiction, but after one night with Aria all that had changed. 

She left me a gasping and twitching mess wrapped in her arms as she gently rubbed my tender and sore muscles. That was surprising, more so than anything that I had experienced up to that point. I had never heard of Aria being so…kind. Considerate even. It was like being wafted down the calmest stream on a fluffy cloud. Excuse the poor and perhaps clichéd comparison as the night and every subsequent night was definitely not a cliché by any stretch of the imagination. But she was so welcoming to someone who had only hours ago tried to rob her of a painting. I suppose everyone wears their masks in public.

My world had been rocked in every sense of the word. Now I belonged to Aria, and soon, I would become the most integral part of Omega.


	2. I am Omega

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Aria and Sky flirt in front of Aria's subordinates and then Sky is told about her next mission.

It had been a swift six months since my arrangement with Aria. My duties were simple and yet wildly unknown to the Omega public due to Aria keeping a tight-lipped approach about my existence. Plenty of wild theories existed about what I did and who I was, some were even halfway accurate, and some were not so accurate. To increase my anonymity I always wore the hood of my black hoodie so to disguise my face. I didn’t get any fancy gear or enhancements and to be entirely honest, I was grateful for that. I liked my casually dressed self, relying on my own athletic and biotic prowess in order to complete whatever job I was sent on. 

The exact requirements of my position were whatever Aria desire of me. If she wanted me to kill, I killed. If she wanted me to relieve her of stress by diving my head between her legs as she collared me, I did exactly that. I wasn’t a soldier and I wasn’t some submissive plaything. It was more like something in between. 

And I loved her. I adored her. I’d do anything for her (within reason, I wasn’t prepared to scar myself in sexual play or kill someone who I considered innocent). At the time I didn’t know her exact feeling towards me but I knew there was some mutual attraction between us. She would insist on me always spending the night after fucking my brains out even if I could walk back to the apartment she had acquired for me. Not that there was ever a situation in which I’d willingly leave her home, especially after sex. The after-care was the best, it was the closest I had ever really connected with another person since before the Reaper war. Every night she would caress my wounds from battle, kiss me so tenderly I could feel the fatigue drain out of me. She would massage and offer me water to drink whenever my throat would become parched from my moans of pleasure and pain.

But I never let my feelings compromise my position, I had already let my own personal desires screw me over once and I nearly received a gunshot to the head from Omega’s matriarch. From now on I kept a confident and imposing smile plastered over my face when next to Aria in order to add to my anonymous demeanour. A small gesture can cause so many effects and help to define you as well. The smile was mine, it installed confidence in me and worried my targets. It gave me so much power. Appearance can do that to people.

 

I walked down the path to Afterlife, offering a small antagonising snicker to the lines of patrons who looked sleep deprived at waiting for as long as they had just to get a chance at entering the club. I imagine they would have been angry at me had they not focused their attention on arguing their case to the bouncer. He just graciously nodded at me, at least some Elcor understand the concepts of simple body language, and soon I entered into the dim red lights that passionately illuminated the nearby dancers and cast long stretching shadows towards the back of the club.

A human drunkard staggered over to me and in his drunken stupor failed to register who I was as he propped himself against me and became too explorative with his hands.   
“Man this place is the bomb! You’d never get anything nearly this strong in the Citadel!” I rolled my eyes at his lack of articulation, though I myself was not exactly well-versed in my own native tongue as I should have been at the time. Aria was leaning against the edge of her booth and eyeing me, obviously not happy that I was off schedule by a factor of a few seconds thanks to the irritating man besides me.

 

I was already frustrated that morning, the previous night Aria had made me go to bed without any service for myself. Sometimes she did that in order to test my patience. Patience was not my strongest faculty and that still remains the case to this day. As a result I may have pushed him to the floor with a little more power in my biotic push than originally intended and broken his leg as it twisted in an excruciating. I swear to this day I saw Aria chuckle. As for the rest of the clientèle they either ignored me based on prior knowledge or looked on in horror at the man’s pain, more focused on his injury than me.

I walked over to Garka, Aria’s personal enforcer, and crossed my arms at his usual overprotective scanning to make sure I wasn’t someone else. 

“Really Garka? Do we need to do this?” I sighed light-heartedly since it really made no difference if he did it or not. It was more for his own sake than mine.

“You know the rules. Besides if anyone was going to try and get close to Aria I’d pick the person she’s closest to” that elicited a small blush on my part. Say what you want to say about a biotic mercenary with a high kill count and a dark past but I was still young and in my romantic blooming. It was nice to be acknowledged as someone like that to Aria, if a little unnerving about how he learned of our intimacy. Fortunately for him we had built up a fairly good rapport over the months so I did little but chuckle at the idea and play devil’s advocate with him.

“And wouldn’t you think they’d kill me and wait until Aria called me over to her apartment instead of going through all this needless security that would scrutinise the assassination?” I was good at Devil’s advocate by the way.

He sighed and stepped away from the steps leading up to the booth “Just shut up and do your job” he smiled at me. The old Batarian knew victory would shut me up.  
I put my hands in the pockets of my hooded jacket and paced my way up the steps until I was a few feet away, directly ahead of my Asari Mistress, smiling all the while. She crossed her legs and casually laid her back against the sofa which she so frequently employed. 

“I’d appreciate you not breaking the limbs of paying customers Sky” she tried to sound angry, but she never was with me. Sometimes she just treated me like a gentle flower, it was kind of…refreshing to see her so loose with me in comparison to everyone else.

I shrugged as it was barely an issue to begin with. “He was near vomit-levels of drunk, it wouldn’t have been long before Grizz or Garka had of kicked him out” she rolled her eyes back at me, most people would have been dead for talking back. I was different.

“He could have come back and spent more credits on dancers and booze. Now all of that is going on hospital bills” She spat back, a little angrier than before but still calm and nonchalant bar a small scowl.

I held up my hands warily to concede defeat to her “Sorry, next time I won’t break the guys’ leg” I apologised and her scowl soon eased. She clasped a drink behind her seat and took a sip from it before gesturing to the cushion next to her.

“Are you going to take a seat or am I going to have to pull you over?” it was a mock threat, evident from the lightest of smiles pulling at the corners of her mouth. 

“I’d like to see you try” I smiled wryly despite knowing she was only teasing and that she had more than ample ability to throw me halfway across the station, I felt more than inclined to be cocky over the thought that she wouldn’t try it. I was wrong. So happily wrong. 

Without finishing the giggle I had intended, so I came off as more sweet than annoying, she had lifted and pulled me atop of her while straddling her thighs in an instant. Drink in hand she kept eye contact even between sips as I blushed and entwined my fingers around the back of her neck. I had to bite my lip to stop myself from yelling how much I wanted her to fuck me right then and there.

“Think I wouldn’t do it?” Aria teased as she ran her fingers up and down my thighs torturously slow. I liked the public seeing I was Aria’s, I loved the idea, that of all the men and women on this space station who would let her literally walk all over them for a chance at pleasing her, that I was the only one she had eyes for. If she had eyes for me. I could’ve been a plaything to be discarded at any moment should she get bored of me but I didn’t care. I would just have to make sure I got as much out of the situation as I could until that moment arrived. If that moment ever arrived. 

“I’m glad you did” I bent over the top of her and let my long hair fall either side of her to act as a personal curtain to hide our all too obvious kiss. She entered my mouth with her tongue, swirling around mine, brushing my teeth and bruising my lips with its intensity. I was left with haggard breath and a smile on my face that she reciprocated fondly. 

“I have a job for you my Sky” I pouted at the idea that I couldn’t spend more time with her like a selfish child but nodded nevertheless. I had to do what I had to do after all. She began running her hands slightly quicker and with more pressure on my hips than before, her way of giving me some motivation “There’s a group of Eclipse who think they’re smuggling Red Sand without my knowledge and not paying tax as they should. Stupid bastards think they can worm me out of what’s mine” Aria gritted her teeth and looked livid with the turn of events, as she had to right to after all. Everything on Omega was hers by right. Even me. 

“Why do you bother keeping them around? They’ve done this before and they tried to overthrow you once” I reasoned as I played around with her scalp crests in place of her hair and offered feathered kisses to her face and cheeks in order to appease her.

“They didn’t. Not really” Aria replied in a negotiated way with little interest in the matter.

I stole a glance at Garka and raised an eyebrow, he had told me something else. Something like an alliance had been brokered between them, the Blue Suns and the Blood Pack and that they had planned to overthrow Aria.

“Uh, some human and her team along with a vigilante killed off most of their leadership and drove them back into their own territory. They never pulled it off or really tried it in the end, then when Aria found out she made an example of whoever was left that tried to enact the plan okay?” Garka said apathetically. I knew very little of Omega’s history even though I had resided there for almost 11 years. I had learned that since Omega has an unstructured system that facts and stories could wildly differ from person to person. Aria wasn’t patient enough to teach me everything so usually I was ignorant to most details, I did as I was told and that was it.

“That…really doesn’t explain why you would keep them around…” I raised a solitaire eyebrow and all Aria gave me was a moan and a small shove so I fell onto the side of the sofa next to her.

“Because if they have a base here, they operate here. If they operate here, I get the money. If I get the money then I can do whatever the Hell I want. Get the picture? They’re worth more than they cost me…usually” Aria explained exasperated over my lack of information about Omega’s politics.

“So you want me to…send a message the way I always do then?” My sadistic side showed, a small smile creeping from cheek-to-cheek over the idea of killing a few misguided mercenaries for the Queen-of-Pirates.

“Leave a few alive. Let them know not to fuck with me again or I won’t be so merciful” Aria gestured towards Garka “He’ll show you to the hangar they’re smuggling the Red Sand in. And I wouldn’t touch the stuff Sky, I once knew a man who had indulged in it more than he should…” her look was sad like a memory she didn’t want to recall had shown up and was obviously affecting her. I wanted to press her for an answer over what the issue was but Garka pulled me away by the shoulder and out of the club, the booming music becoming fainter and fainter as we left the club.

 

Rarely did I ever see Aria sad, she usually masked any weakness like that with anger and a strong display of power. But that instance was different for some reason. Whatever it was I couldn’t focus on it for too long as Garka soon took me to an elevator that he informed me would lead me to the location of one of the Eclipse’s supposedly ‘secret’ hangars where they made drug trade-offs. 

“Take the ride down to hangar 4-B kid, there should be a few of them but not enough to pose you an issue. Sure you don’t want anything other than that pistol?” He asked with concern as he pointed to the Phalanx heavy pistol attached to my silver studded belt that hung loosely around my shorts.

“Nah I’m fine. My biotics will be more than enough to handle those idiots” I assured him, my confidence leaking out of me more than I probably should have intended. He reached to his side and pulled out three grenades before giving them to me.

“Just as a backup okay? Aria would publically behead me if anything happened to you” that blush creeped up on me, and as much as I’d have hated to see Garka punished I was tempted to suffer an injury just to see how concerned Aria would be for me.

“F-Fine. Just in case…” I attached them to my belt alongside the gun and gave him an affirmative smile as I stepped into the elevator. 

“4-B!!” He reiterated as I looked for the number in question. Sometimes his lack of confidence in me really made me feel like he felt I was incompetent. I knew better but it wouldn’t have killed him to have some belief.

“Yeah, yeah.” I said back and waved to him as the doors quickly shut, and the low rumbling set in as I descended towards my objective.


	3. I’m no Hero. I’m no Saint:

It would be fair to say when I reached the floor where the Eclipse and their associates were that it looked exactly as I had expected. Two groups consisting of Eclipse Mercenaries on one side and Batarian pirates on the other, having a meet off with the Batarians in the process of unloading grey boxes from their ships that required two men to lift them and would come up to about knee level. The hanger was exactly what one would expect, silver-metal flooring and walls as well as a big hangar door that extended from either side of the room and assembled once again in line with the centre of the room.

It reeked of cliché movies and police dramas that Aria had bought so I had a little more context on what the dramatized perspective of my home was like. Although it did have a bit of an adverse effect by making me yell out clichés whenever the situation called for it. Things like ‘Freeze perps!’ and ‘Drop your weapons!’ the second one was equally, if not more, stupider since no-one on Omega would ever lay down their weapons for any reason. 

I hid behind some shipping containers near the elevator that dropped me off adjacent with the meeting so I was behind the Batarians. I didn’t need to see faces since the Eclipse logo was so obviously plastered over the armour of the buyers. Sometimes I loved the convenience of these bandits and their recognisable traits. 

 

“So how much are we talking about here?” I listened in to the conversation, I wanted to be certain what they were doing went against Aria. I trusted my Mistress implacably, but certainty was always worthy obtain over any given dilemma.

The Batarian leaned in to the Asari Merc “You’ll have plenty of Red Sand to expand your operations into at least four more quadrants I promise. We’ll keep bringing you more and supply you with updated equipment and soldiers should you need them.” He assured her as he opened up a nearby container which was filled to the brim with Red Sand. I couldn’t place my finger on it but something seemed off. Really off. Not about how they talked or what was going on but the Sand itself. It wasn’t like regular Sand. However, I chose to ignore that and obtain the incriminating details first.

“And you’re certain that Aria won’t know about your arrival? This is under lock and key right? Because if Aria learns about this we’re all dead…” The Asari leaned back in her chair, anxiety and trepidation working her way over her features. That was even evident from my location on the other side of the room and I could barely make out what they were saying, let alone derive facial expressions.

“Relax. We took all the necessary precautions, with the money we’ll both make out of this deal we’ll be able to finally throw that bitch off the throne” I raised an eyebrow at the revelation of the two groups working together for a common goal. First off the Eclipse never worked with anyone. Ever. Except for when they’re left with no options and even then it would be a tentative and strained relationship. Secondly I had never seen these Batarian Mercs before, so they couldn’t have been famous or worked long enough to gain the trust of the Eclipse let alone work with them on overthrowing Aria. Either the Eclipse were getting desperate or something bigger was going on here.

 

But I had heard more than enough, they were going against Aria and my killing instincts had kicked in full force. I elevated up the nearest small container with my biotics, no bigger than my height in width, and launched it at the meeting place. It barrelled through several of the Batarians with the velocity of my attack breaking and contorting their bodies into vile shapes before they crashed down onto the ground into a limp pile. The container then proceeded to bounce, hitting the leader of the group in the head, leaving him collapsing to the ground with a bloody gash along the back of his head from where the corner of the container had practically stabbed him and left dark crimson blood oozing out of the lesion.

The Asari and her men took a step back in shock, finally registering the dark blue pulse of my biotics at the back of the room directly ahead of them.

“You! Aria’s little bitch! What the hell are you doing here?!” she shrieked and all of her remaining five men raised their avenger assault rifles at me. I put my hands in the air, more mocking them than anything and began to close the distance “That’s enough! One more step and they shoot!” She bit down on her lip until it became bloody and all I did was offer the most condescending smirk in return to her ire.

“Aria sends her regards: Don’t fuck with Omega!” no sooner than when I finished my sentence they began firing at me, I activated my barrier and the bullets bounced harmlessly off my minor mass effect fields that I had summoned as I continued my gentle pace towards them. The bullets soon gently fell like soft rainwater to the ground below and scuttled away, leaving the would-be fatal projectiles as nothing more than toys in my wake. As soon as they had ran out of their first clip, and looked to cool off their thermal-based-magazine, I had pulled out my Phalanx pistol and started picking my targets with prejudiced shells.

I silenced the first of my targets as the bullet rippled through the glass of his helmets visor which resulted in blood streaming in a thin line through the broken visor. He took several seconds to fall dead whilst he hopelessly swatted around the bleeding eye. The second I slaughtered with two quick shots to the knees and brought him down onto the bleeding joints before I unloaded a slug into the middle of his trachea, leaving a waterfall of plasma rolling down his armour and coating the midpoint of it in a new rosy design. The whole process was over in seconds and before their fellow comrades had finished reloading, I already had my shield back up to intercept the next barrage of shots, however the other Mercs began shooting around my exposed feet, causing me to take cover behind one of the Batarian ships.

Bullets were ricocheting off the metal of the fighter-class ship and left me pinned down from the ferocious rain of the Eclipse soldier’s attacks. Even a few concussive shots almost bent over or around the vessel and forced me out of cover if not for my biotics. 

Out of the corner of my eye I saw a small knee-high container and launched it at the three remaining soldiers who were supressing me with gunfire. Thanks to all the training Aria had given me I was an expert at hitting my targets with objects I launched even at a distance with speeds that usually proved fatal. This time was no different as it smashed into the helmets of the human soldiers and their fractured grunts were the last noise they made before being flung across the room and went limp according to my expectations. 

However, I failed to appreciate two things about the enemies I had been fighting. One is that all Asari have biotics and to assume an Eclipse mercenary had not been trained in their biotic skills was rash. The second thing was that what I had just thrown was a large box of Red Sand that had exploded out of the box and sprinkled all over the Asari I had yet to have terminated. She sniffed in the red stimuli and her entire body blasted out a wave of biotic energy. She yanked me over to her with her biotics and smashed me into the metal floor below before kicking me in the ribs mere seconds after her first attack. I rolled over in numbed pain as I struggled to find my breath after being winded by her strike. A few ribs were broken, that was certain. Red Sand had the effect of strengthening all biotic abilities, and she was obviously outfitting her regular physical attacks with biotics so they packed more of a punch. Or kick. Or slam. Goddamn it hurt.

She strolled over to me as I wheezed in pain at her kick that had rolled me a few metres away from her and picked me up by the hair as my hood fell off and exposed my features to her. “I can understand why Aria would want you” she connected a punch to my face knocking my head to one side with an agonising pulse of pain from where she had hit me. “Too bad what’ll be left of you she’ll be able to fit in a doggy bag” she kicked me again and several of the grenades attached to my belt fell off and landed around her. She continued to threaten and insult me as my mind focused on finding an escape from the Asari that was currently beating me to death. I locked eyes on the grenades and winced in exasperated realisation that they were my only chance.

“I fucking hate you for being right all the damn time Garka…” I smiled weakly as I fumbled for my gun and aimed for the grenade closest to her. Gun shaking, I had to make it count. I would only have the one chance. I had to survive. I wanted to survive. I didn’t ever want to know the feeling of giving in to despair and demanding death again “I’m a fucking survivor damn it!” I cried as I pulled the trigger.

She was about to say something, probably some arrogant claim about my Phalanx having no effect on her barriers when I shot the grenade by her. I had shielded myself with my own biotics by pushing the flames away as they neared me. She wasn’t so lucky. The flames engulfed her shields and she screamed and kicked from the pain. She dropped to the floor and rolled about trying to release the inferno’s tight grasp of her. 

Eventually the flames offered some kind of reprieve, though you wouldn’t have expected it based on the wounds she had suffered from the flames. Her amour was cracked and charred, half of the once purple skin was scorched black and all she could do was pitifully crawl away. It was almost saddening. 

I never have considered myself a hero nor a villain. I don’t kill innocent people, and yet I didn’t kill guilty people based off a sense of misplaced justice. I killed because Aria asked me to kill someone she felt justified being killed by Omega’s law. Her law. I enjoyed killing for her, not killing itself. Still, as I saw this begging woman below, blood slowly beginning to escape her cracked and smouldering skin the urge to end her life overtook me. I wasn’t doing it for mercy, I did it for Aria.

I used my biotics to grab her by the throat and in one fluid motion I snapped her neck back until her eyes were looking at me standing behind her until they sunk back into her skull. It was somewhat tragic and yet…meaningless to me. I didn’t care her flame of life was snuffed out no more than I cared about the sight of a single rain drop. 

I was prepared to leave when her Omni-tool blared to life from an incoming transmission. I decided to answer the call. Jona Sederis’, leader of the Eclipse Mercs, face appeared on the other side of the call. She looked shocked (obviously she had expected an update of sorts from her Asari subordinate) at the death and destruction, and the bright burning flames that must have made me look like some kind of demon stood around the dead that she surely recognised. I offered my signature smile and waved. The message had been delivered: Aria knows.

 

I slumped up against the wall of the elevator as the doors closed and I began ascending back up the way I had come. I slid down as I grabbed onto the rumbling soreness of my broken ribs. Every time I attempted to take a breath was hell, the muscles of my stomach twitching in pain whenever I did.

“Fuck me this hurts…” I complained. It was an adequate summary of the pain I was in. 

“I guess you should have taken me along with you then huh?” I opened one eye and looked up at Garka who stood at the now opened doors of the elevator, hands on his hips and raised his bottom set of eyes disapprovingly of my injuries.

“Am I dead?” I rolled my eyes as I attempted to stand up with some assistance from Garka as he threw one of my arms around the back of his neck to help support me.

“No, but you sure look like crap” I softly kicked at his nearest leg and got a chuckle out of him “Job well done kid” he said sincerely and we were on our way back to Afterlife. God knows I needed a drink to dull the pain.

 

I had returned, inured, to Aria before and she had always covered her concern for me with gentle frustration, but this was the first time I had come back without the ability to stand by myself. 

She. Was. Pissed.

“What the fuck happened to you?” she reigned in her anger to just quiet inquisition over my bruised face and broken ribs. A loud Aria meant public humiliation since everyone would take notice. A quiet Aria usually meant death….or worse.

“Red Sand and biotics. Turns out this one Asari was a mean bitch and a half” I tried joking though I failed to keep eye contact with Aria, her stare was petrifying. 

“Did you take any?” This time there was a shaking to her voice, it was filled with dread. She was always like that with me and Red Sand. 

“What? No! You know I’d never touch the stuff” I tried soothing her although that only served to reaffirm her quiet rage.

“And the Eclipse Mercs? And the Asari?” She asked, arms crossed now.

“Dead. Jona got the message” Aria could say what she wants, I got the mission completed to the letter. “Though I wanted to investigate the Sand they were using…there was much more than what we expected…and it seemed…odd from just the look of it” Aria turned to look over the edge of her railing to inspect the club below. A gentle sigh left her lips and she focused her attention on one of her grunts. 

“Have a team sent down to mop the place up. Have some trusted experts inspect the Sand” he swiftly left after receiving the orders and Aria moved to my other side and supported me from it “Garka. Get the car and meet us at the back of the club. I don’t want anyone else to see Sky injured like this” Whether that was for my sake or her own I appreciated it. My blush took over most of my face and I couldn’t help but smile.

“Sorry I got hurt…” I apologised, Aria was protective of what was hers and if something happened to something of hers without her being there to stop it she would usually blame herself or want to exact a personal revenge. An apology was all I was good for at that point.

She remained quiet for a moment as we stuck to the shadows and used a seemingly locked door that only Aria had the codes for and waited in the dimly lit alleyway until Garka pulled up beside us with Aria’s car. She put me in the passenger seat and quickly piled into the back by herself. She placed a hand on my shoulder and kissed my cheek, which reminded me of the pain from where I had been punched but decided to let that point slide for now. “You can make it up to me by being quiet and getting better okay?” I nodded as I tried to nuzzle against her lips but she quickly pulled back and into her seat.

“Where to? The hospital?” Garka asked and Aria profusely shook her head.

“No. Her injuries aren’t that severe and I don’t want people knowing she’s so badly injured that she requires Doctors…not unless she really needs it” Aria crossed her arms and sat back as she thought about where to go and what to do “We’ll take her back to my apartment. There’s plenty of medi-gel and first-aid equipment, I’ve been in enough tight situations where I’ve had to take care of worse injuries with less. I’ll look after her” Aria decided and Garka lifted the hover-car into the air as we headed towards Aria’s penthouse suite. 

“What about you Aria? Who’s gonna run Omega while you’re playing Doctor?” Garka may have been slightly harsher than he intended, and that is more than stupid when the person you’re talking to is Aria, but he still had a point.

“I’ll still be doing my job. In case you didn’t realise she isn’t dying and won’t require me to look after her all the time. I can look after her and run Omega, or do you think I can’t do both?” Aria challenged and Garka very visibly shifted uncomfortably in his seat. 

“No Aria! Not at all. I know you can do both, trust me” He defended, and then we found ourselves in complete silence as we headed towards our next destination. My haggard and ragged breath, Garka’s occasional grunt at the traffic issue, Aria’s impatient drumming of her fingers against the door and the variety of noises from the high-density population below made an incredible symphony of noise. It was calming to live somewhere that was so hectic in nature.

 

It was at that time I realised something. Something that left me chuckling to myself much to the confusion of both Aria and Garka. I don’t think even now that I told them what I found so funny. I realised that they were like a family to me. Where I had lost my own, I had replaced them with my own platonic family. My lover and Mistress, my teacher and friend. It was dysfunctional and weird I know, but I was happy. But that in itself was made me laugh so hysterically: I was happy. Broken and bloodied but I was still happy.


	4. A Chance for Departure

After skipping six months’ worth of experiences, you may be wondering why I started my story with such semi-successful and simple course of events. Whilst I didn’t know it at the time, that Red Sand would affect almost everything it came into touch with. Though I shouldn’t focus on it so much right now. We have much, much more to discuss before we reach that particular apex.

 

It had been six days since my beating at the hand of the Asari Eclipse Merc and my body was sore all over. Some days breathing was the toughest task I had ever been put through. The skin around my ribs was puffy and tender and the only thing I could do to stop the pain was take shallow breaths but Aria had told me it was best to allow my lungs to expand to their full size. One thing I was always jealous of about the Asari was their length of life, it allowed them more time to think and consider, to learn and follow so many more passions than a human could. I guess that allowed Aria the chance to be an expert at injuries after being in so many battles herself. Apparently I had to keep breathing in order to stop infection. I had no idea that’s how you got chest infections, I supposed Aria was just that smart about things. 

Thanks to medi-gel and constant bed-rest Aria told me I’d be better in just under a week. Still, I felt useless and I hated being useless. Useless was something Aria didn’t care for or needed in her personnel. Despite that she would always sit beside me and stroke my hair and talk me through what I had to do for breathing exercises. Before I had thought of myself as a delicate flower in her hands founded upon the idea of how gentle she was with me. But that was exceeded by how she wouldn’t touch me. Sexually I mean. I was lucky if I got a small peck on the lips, anything beyond that was non-existent for me while the injuries persisted. I wasn’t sure if that was because of how I was the only one with strong feelings for the other, or if it was because she blamed herself. It wasn’t like Aria was incapable of regret or guilt, I had seen it when loyal personal of hers had died. She would always grieve in her own solemn way. But it was odd to see what I perceived as heavy guilt, like every moment she saw me she regretted sending me on that mission.

 

One day I wanted to address what had always been on my mind. I was going insane with boredom and sexual frustration. I understand why we couldn’t since whenever I got close to my climax I would breath quickly and heavily, and I could only assume with my current injuries that it would hurt like a bitch. But understanding doesn’t equate to painlessness. I wanted to ask her what she thought of me, why she was Garka-levels of protection over me and why she was so…expressive in front of me.  
Her soft violet skin ran over the toned but flat muscles of my stomach as I went through my painful breathing exercises that always took about an hour. When I was done she would offer an almost invisible smile to me, barely tugging at the corners of her lips.

“You seem fine to me at the moment, if you need anything call me on your Omni-tool…” she was about to turn around when I grabbed her by the wrist. She looked reasonably alarmed by the tension of my grip and the heavy exhales I had been taking. 

“Wait…can I ask you something?” I inquired without releasing my grip on her.

“If you want to use my ‘Galaxy of Fantasy’ account the password is saved on your Omni-tool, just scan it onto the console first” she rolled her eyes, Aria was more than the avid gamer, sometimes she could forget I was in the room with her sometimes. Once I had tried stripping right next to her. I got nothing.

“No it isn’t that…thanks by the way” I smirked and almost giggled if not for stopping myself after remembering how much pain it would result in. “It’s something a little more…serious than that” that earned me a more sincere look of significance from Aria as she smoothed the bedding next to me and set herself next to me, not ripping her gaze from mine to try and discern my meaning and its implications.

“I’m listening” she said softly, carefully…cagily. She lost whatever remnant of smile she had shown me moments before. I could have so easily angered her, scared her off or confused her if I wasn’t careful with my words. We had never exactly defined the parameters of how far our relationship could go. I heard rumours I wasn’t the first to be taken on by Aria as her lover, but I sure as hell was going to be the last.

“What am I to you?” I asked delicately, maybe it was an ambiguous way to start the topic but it certainly was heading in the direction I wanted it to go. Well maybe not wanted, but needed. 

“Wha...Sky. I’m going to need some clarification first” I swear that was the first time I, maybe anyone, had ever seen Aria stammer like that. Worry lines deeply etched on her face from just the vague question.

“When you’re negotiating, when you’re on your throne and passing judgement you’re stoic-maybe easily enraged- and you aren’t known for your compassion. But with me it’s different…why?” I asked, using my upturned blue eyes to try and evoke some kind of encouraging emotion from her. “I was wondering…do you lo-” she cut me off from finishing my sentence with a solitary finger pressed to my lips.

“Not. Now.” Her point was affirmatively definitive. There was no room to argue and no point in trying. I had gotten my answer, and I kissed the finger on my lips.

“Okay.” She hadn’t outright refused or denied my love. It was just too early, too little was known and far too much was at stake for the both of us if it didn’t work out. Aria was experienced and mature like that.

I was happy with her lack of answer. For now anyway. She parted from my company with a much greater level of haste than any other occasion in which she left the apartment, most likely because of the question which I was only moments away from posing properly. 

After that I rolled onto my side and let out the tiniest sigh I could manage considering the pain in my chest and nuzzled up to Aria’s pillow, taking in the scent she always left behind and gently closed my eyes in order to acquire some extra sleep.

 

I awoke from my slumber some hours later with no pain occupying my chest anymore, I can’t speak highly enough of painkillers. I manoeuvred myself to the edge of my bed and shaped myself to get up. My balance was rickety at best and whilst it didn’t hurt to move I found the muscles in my legs to be tighter than usual. I observed the floor below to see the door remained open to the apartment. I reached for my jacket and slid it on over my pink PJ tank top that matched my PJ shorts in colour and style. Which I admit was not the exact attire that I wanted a potential intruder to see me in but it was more of a minor concern at this point.

I looked around the furniture and desks for my Phalanx pistol but discovered nothing in the immediate area. 

“Crap. Biotics it is” I decided as I looked out the window. Omega was never brightly lit, kind of a consistent issue when you live on a space station built in and around an asteroid. 

That being said there were plenty of signs outside that stated it was around 7:48 PM local time. Aria wouldn’t be back for an hour or so established by her schedule. “Fucking. Spectacular.” I shook my head with an artificial smile plastered along my face. “Right. Hand-to-hand with my potential assailant and I have broken ribs…” I felt my sore jawline from the punches I had suffered too, whoever had broken in to the apartment was being given a pretty huge handicap at this point.

 

Now, let me explain as to why my first thought to an open door meant that someone was intruding. For one: Aria never left her door open. Ever. No-one was allowed in except for me when she wasn’t there and I sure as hell didn’t see Aria anywhere. It seemed reasonable someone was doing what I had six months ago.

 

Still, I slowly descended the spiralling staircase, trying my best to inspect the darkness around me for any sign of another person. I made sure to move as leisurely and soundlessly as I could with each step so the perpetrator had no idea I was on to them. If they hadn’t already. Just like Aria did when I first stepped foot in the apartment. And then I noticed the figure, Quarian by design, stood against the wall right ahead of the staircase. 

“So, Sky Atlas I take it? Nice to meet you” He said as he waved my pistol in one hand liberally as if to mock me. He looked like all Quarian’s with an enviro-suit occupying his entire figure with a green detail to the fabric and hood. His voice carried that same digital-echoing effect the speakers produced when he spoke and the flashing light made it even more distinct whenever he did.

“Breaking in to the Queen’s apartment huh? Sorry bud, you’re lacking originality there” I crossed my arms, no point in fighting just yet, he was evidently interested in dialogue first. That was fine with me.

“So I’ve heard. Worked out well for you though didn’t it?” It’s difficult to tell through facial language what a Quarian meant due to their suit masking that particular ability, so I had to rely on body language and general tone to discern their implication. Though from the way he looked it was a snide comment.

“You mean the ribs? My own fault” I admitted my failure to take precaution like a certain Batarian would have. I waved off the friendly banter “What are you here for?”

“Straight to the point then? I like that in a person. I’m here to offer you something and perhaps…deter you from killing any of my men in the future” he spoke vaguely, trying to capture my interest. Christ I wish I hadn’t been such an ignorant child and just killed him right then and there.

“What ‘offer’ are you referring to?” I asked, I had no intention of accepting any offer of a man whose men I just killed. In retrospect being successful in my field of occupation also narrowed my choices of alternate employment in that field of occupation. That’s something to write into a philosophical interpretation of capitalism for sure.

“I’m going to put a deal on the metaphorical table for you. You come work for me. Forget Aria, forget the ties you have on Omega and come work for me.” He said simplistically, like just being told there’s an alternative would be enough to get me to change who I work for.

“Boy that sounds like such a great deal! Oh how convinced am I to just stab my boss in the back like that! Screw off.” I rolled my eyes after expelling enough sarcasm to make up a small country. “But let me ask a couple of questions first: Who are you?” I needed to know who this Quarian was, the more I could pry from him meant that I could explain more to Aria about whoever was trying to smuggle goods behind her back.

“Of course, it would be insulting of me if I didn’t explain. I am Lorki Vas Utrek, a leading figure of ‘Veiled Goods’ who are a large group of interconnected smugglers looking to make it big in the galaxy. We go around looking for enforcers and adept smugglers when we aren’t smuggling ourselves.” He spoke with a proud tone as if what he had just told me was so significant I should be worshiping the ground he stood on.

“So I suppose the group of Batarians were yours? Just a random bunch of Batarians? And if you’re so big how come I haven’t heard of you?” I needed answers and quick, if Aria returned or anyone noticed that he had broken in than he’d make a run for it before I could get what I needed. And of course patience was not a skill that I was famous for, in fact, it was my lack of patience I was notorious for.

“We don’t go around and broadcast ourselves like some of our clientèle. We’re tight-lipped and almost non-existent at times, to the average individual anyway” he explained “We don’t need people to know of us. All we need to do is smuggled illegal goods, be it people or weapons or drugs, and then sell them to whomever is willing to buy. And you, Miss Atlas, are both an exemplary enforcer and well wanted in this little galaxy of ours” he said wistfully, as if he was totalling up my worth to him.

“Me? Who wants to buy me?” I asked.

“Plenty of people. The Alliance wants you for your biotic powers and serve aboard a military vessel. What’s left of Cerberus want to experiment on you like they did Grayson, and the Council wants you for robbery, abduction, murder and plenty of other crimes you’ve committed in Council Space” he had me there, looking back on it I had done a number of things to the council races that could have had me labelled as a pretty big criminal.

“And how did you learn all this if you’re so secretive?” 

“When you’re in the business of not telling people who you are or what you do, you learn to keep an ear open to things that are said around you. You listen out to what people want, get it, and then sell it to them. Usually they don’t ask since they’re so desperate they pay whatever you ask and boom! A quick and tall stack of credits” he continued “but you’re more interested in why I’m here no? I have a proposition. I’ll keep all of these groups off your back and pay you to work for me. And all you have to do is come with me. If you don’t well…eventually someone will come for you and…I’m sure they’ll use Aria to get to you” again, I couldn’t see what was below that helmet of his, but I assumed it was a devilish smirk.

“Are you threatening her?!” I wanted to leap forward and attack him, but the pain in my chest burst to life when I moved too quickly. “Shit…I wish painkillers worked better…” I complained light-heartedly.

“Not at all! Please control yourself Miss Atlas, I have no desire at this current conjuncture to kidnap and sell you off like a prized Varren. I’m just warning you of events to come. And should the time come that I consider it worth sending wave after wave of Mercenaries at you so I can catch you and sell you off to the highest bidder, I can assure you I wouldn’t put myself in harm’s way” that more or less went to prove he was a self-absorbed business man more interested in making money and preserving his own life than protecting me. I had no interest from the start but now I was firmly against this guy.

“Thanks for the warning. But I love Aria. Now kindly: Fuck off” I tried to sound as threatening as possible, the pain was stopping me from being witty and sly like I usually was so profanity was all I could achieve. 

“Ah…the same fatal flaw as both Paul Grayson and Nyreen Kandros, you came to Omega seeking security and love in Aria’s arms. And then they found themselves at odds with her. Do you know what happened to them? Dead. Both of them. Though I suppose Nyreen sacrificed herself to help Aria actually. And Grayson was set up, but Cerberus were also after Grayson too, a few parallels to consider” he tossed me back my pistol, missing the thermal clip which he kept in his hand “I’ll hang on to this, don’t want you shooting me in case the thought had crossed your mind. Goodbye Miss Atlas, I’m sure we’ll meet again.” I could only assume he said that with a sneer. He cloaked himself in invisibility and I was soon alone in the empty apartment, the door shutting soon after. 

My body was still exhausted and aching from my previous encounter with Lorki’s men and the Eclipse Mercs. Plus all the thinking and confusion over this whole ‘Veiled Goods’ business also served to confuse and disorientate me further. The pain and fatigue began to set in again so I hauled myself up the stairs before collapsing into Aria’s bed again, gun still in hand, and found my consciousness fading all over again.


	5. Kick ‘em when they’re down

So if beaten, bloodied and being exposed to a deep circle of invisible smugglers who were keeping a close eye on me based on my free-lance Mercenary career and were thinking of kidnapping me in order to sell me should my prospective price shoot up high enough wasn’t bad enough, I started having the nightmares again. Nightmares of Earth.

They plagued my first few months when I lived on the streets of Omega. I’d always wake sweaty, exhausted and screaming. Aria was smart enough to figure out what I was dreaming about. I would leave the entire bedding soaked in my own perspiration and she would attempt to comfort me by wrapping her arms around me whilst offering me sweet coos to calm my sporadic breathing and unintelligible mumbles of fear. Tonight wasn’t any better, after all I had been through those last few days I now had to bear the burden of those images.

 

Burnt buildings, crumbling from the heavy damage they had sustained with some collapsed into others. Dead were littered everywhere. Shops sacked and looted for whatever they were worth. I was so small, so young with tears staining and burning my eyes as I ran from something hounding after me; getting closer all the while. I begged and pleaded for a hero but no-one would ever come. I tripped and scrapped my knees on the hard and unforgiving concrete. Blood running down my legs and soaking my dirt-addled socks and trainers. 

“Please for the love of God help me!” I screamed through my pathetic whimpers. “I want to survive! I wanna live! Please don’t let me die!” I kept screaming until my throat was raw and I was coughing blood. Whatever was following me was toying with its prey, waiting until I had given up completely and surrendering my pitiful existence before ending my pain. 

And then it hit me. It wasn’t a nightmare, not in the traditional sense anyway. I was remembering the last few days of the Reapers attacks on Earth. My house was burnt and broken and I ran wildly looking for anyone, anywhere to try and help me. My side ached from the burns that hugged it like a cold metal clamp. 

It then decided that enough was enough. It jumped from above me and landed only a few feet away, it looked human. Grey in complexion and with tubing all over its limbs, torso and head snaking around and then diving back under the skin. It had cold blaring white eyes with a merciless hiss as it bared its jagged and broken teeth. Crawling over to me as it prematurely snapped ready to eat me alive. I was resigned to my fate. I was resigned to death. I was just a poor little English girl with no concept of war, difficulty or suffering. I would rather die than live another day in this Hell.

But life is never that simple is it? She arrived right then and there. She had her hair shaved off at the sides and what remained was tied back in a ponytail. She looked punky with a studded jacket over a white top that revealed her midriff and its numerous tattoos. I had to admit, despite being on the precipice between life and death, she still looked pretty damn cool. 

A blue pulse came from her hand as more of the grey-skinned creatures crawled out from buildings and alleyways, screaming at the potential threat she carried. 

“Goddamn husks…” she whispered to herself “Hey kid! I can’t guarantee you’ll be safe here. Probably best you book it or something…” she said as she blasted one of the monsters back into a broken car, where it imprinted its body-shape on the already clear dents. I picked myself up as quickly as I could and started sprinting for whatever I was worth. It wasn’t a long encounter, and we didn’t even exchange names but I was still inspired by her. She was fighting when she could be running. She was brave and self-dependable. I wanted to be like her. I promised if I survived I would fight my own battles. The dreams were painful, but they reminded me of who I was and who I’ve become since. That pain I felt was just another motivation for me to fight for myself, so no-one else ever had to protect me. 

 

That’s when I woke up, Aria shaking me by the shoulders and calling my name. I tightened my grip to check if my gun was still there; it wasn’t. When I focused my eyes on Aria she had it folded into its smaller form by her hip and she had moved to start stroking my cheek.

“Sky! What happened? Why is the lock to the apartment undone?” Aria seemed frantic in her questioning, and yet her tone was controlled. 

“Guy broke in…Quarian guy…he was a dick” I answered still tired as I rubbed my eyes and sat up straight or as straight as I could, given how I was slumped in to Aria’s chest. I could imagine she was incredulous over my sleepy answer “Ugh…he said something about ‘Veiled Foods’?” I wasn’t exactly certain about the intruder given how much information had been thrown at me in my weakened at practically feverish state.

“You mean ‘Veiled Goods’ right? I’ve dealt with them before. What did he say to you?” Aria asked and I wasn’t surprised by the admission, she was Queen of Omega after all, she dealt with every kind of smuggler you could imagine. Nevertheless I began the explanation into the events of the night involving Lorki and has deal for me. Fair to say when I included the point about not wanting to leave or betray Aria her eyes could have lighten up the entire space station which would have been a nice change of pace from the bleakly dark crimson. 

“…and that’s about everything. Secret organisation. I’m worth a lot of money. Red Sand trade that they were trying to sell to the Eclipse Mercs to undermine and then overthrow us. The usual…” I tilted my head to the side in order to express the typicality of the current situation with a roll of my eyes to emphasise that. 

“So basically even after a galactic war fought for the sake of our right to life and the unification we achieved we’re still encountering the same old issues? Great.” Garka rolled his eyes. I tilted my head to the side again to get a look at him, only noticing him for the first time since I awoke and mouthed ‘Oh it’s you!’ at Garka, which he huffed at.  
Aria was lost in thought, chin in hand as she considered the information I had just relayed to her. “So, you know about these guys Aria?” I asked confident that I’d get a response about Aria’s dealing for once.

“Somewhat, yes. They’re like the Shadow Broker in the sense they’re infamous to those who know about them. Usually they’re too distanced from one-another to agree about a common goal or mission that isn’t just about making money off secrets. Sometimes they do get together for an annual meeting or whenever there’s an issue where they know the whole group is being affected in some way” I looked slightly confused over Aria’s explanation with a raise of my eyebrows and all she did was sigh at my lack of knowledge “Kids these days…no respect for the finer workings of the criminal syndicates…” she shook her head and I frowned, well within my right to “I have…connections with certain well placed individuals. Plus some of their members use Omega as a staging ground for their business like the one you met” Aria explained.

“So what’s next? Espionage? A little recognisance on the members of their group on Omega?” I said with a smile, trying to get my family excited for another misadventure. 

Aria smirked from a single corner of her mouth “Hmm…It’s paramount we teach them that my organisation is not to be screwed with, that’s for sure” she poked my injured ribs which still throbbed with pain but I longed and appreciated her touch, biting down on my lip to stop me from articulating my desires in the form of moans. “From the looks of things you are in no shape to go around shooting secret organisations up and interrogate people. I have a different mission for you” Aria crossed her arms in a definitive way, not that I was willing to give up so easily. 

“But I-” as I prepared to express my objections Aria brought our bodies flush against each-other and tilted my chin upwards to her slightly taller frame. 

“I hope you don’t plan on disobeying me now, do you Sky?” That smile was still present, teasing and so sexy. So Goddamn sexy.

“I can do it! Please Aria! I’m not that weak…” she silenced me brushing our lips together, they tasted like sweet strawberries, just like how my Mother would always prepare me a packed lunch for school. It was welcome nostalgia and one of the few welcome memories that I was thankful for.

“I know how strong you are. But allow me the privilege to step on some necks of the people who hurt my personal hitman” Aria’s words were cold and vengeful, not to mention full of confidence. I gave in. I nodded against her white jacket and cradled my head against the crook in her neck where it met the shoulder. She turned her attention to Garka, who was eagerly awaiting his own orders “Well what are you waiting for? Find me the names of all known members of their little order who live on Omega. I want them fucking dead, and I want to be the one to pull the trigger” she turned to me, focus on the mission seemingly forgotten as she just stared into my eyes “An old informant of yours who set up jobs for you lives in the Citadel doesn’t he? See if he knows about this Quarian that talked to you. We need to know everything about this guy and his hotspots” she ordered me.

“Hotspots?” 

“Usually people like him have areas they prefer to operate in specific areas. It’ll make it easier to track him down and get more detailed answers if we know where that is” Aria turned to Garka again “It was the Eclipse who helped Lorki’s men into Omega and attempted to do it without our knowledge. We have to assume they are in league with ‘Veiled Goods’ as well. Send some men to locate Jona Sederis as soon as possible” Aria gave out her final order before Garka offered her a confirmatory nod and marched his way out of the apartment.

“Sooooo….the Citadel then huh? Gonna have to get me a fabricated identify since, you know…kinda a wanted criminal over there…” I blushed and my voice deviated from cool and collected to a high pitch every fourth syllable.

Why was it that whenever I talked to Aria I always had to act like a teenage girl in front of her crush for the first time? 

“We’ll sort that out on your ride over, and as a word of warning try to stay clear of Commander Bailey. He’s the ‘I don’t take bribes’ kind of cop. Plus ten years ago when I was all but imprisoned on that living hell of what they call a station I may have gotten on his bad side with ignoring proper protocol. Asshole politics” she shook her head, more than once she had complained (putting it lightly) about the Purgatory bar and how much she hated her lack of control over…well…everything.

Aria’s hand slowly slid down my body and started kneading all over my chest and shorts, the sudden and very welcome sensation of her hands trailing circles and writing her name in a million different dialects over my attired skin gave an all too obvious hitch to my voice and breathing. I could feel her dark smile pressed against my neck as she nibbled and toyed with the flesh there. Blood rising to the surface the more she played with my stressed and drowsy body.

“I was a-about to ask if this was where our conversation was headed…” I nervously laughed as a hand slid under my shirt and glided over my stomach, teasing the flesh just below my breasts as she admired every little detail. 

Her head reared up to my ear and I started mumbling some incoherent affirmatives and deities names when she sunk her teeth into the lobe “You’ve been so good the last few days. One little night of pleasure won’t undo any recovery will it?”

I had completely lost the ability to respond to her at this point as I was entirely focused on the light sensations and growing warmth between my legs to care about confirming her   
rhetoric, besides, she loved having the final say in a conversation. It was a small, but important, parallel between the two of us.

Her hands retreated from my shirt and seam of my shorts as she took a step back to admire my panting and quaky build smiling all the while. “Take it off for me. Give me a show won’t you? The girls at the club weren’t on their A-game” 

I nodded and slid off my jacket by extending my arms behind me at an angle to the ground below and let gravity slowly pull it from me as I kept my eyes fixed to my Mistress, ready to obey any command she wanted. Finally I could stop thinking. I could stop worrying about being sold for a tour of duty, or dissection or imprisonment aboard the Citadel. I could forget-

‘I love her.’ No. I couldn’t forget that no matter how much I tried. Only hours ago I almost properly gave her my confession until she stopped me. But I didn’t let those thoughts stop me, the more I acted on Aria’s whims always resulted in my fears and reservations fading into the deepest parts of my mind. 

The hoodie dropped to the ground below and now all I had on were my flower printed socks (I was such a masculine hitman, I know) PJ shorts and tank top. I didn’t know where to stop so I tilted my head at Aria as she crossed her legs in her armchair and spread her arms.

“Surprise me Sky” 

Being given a choice of what to remove next wasn’t an issue, oh no, in fact it was very liberating to know she wouldn’t judge me on what I chose. So I moved either arm to opposite side of my torso and grabbed at the fabric of my tank top and began pulling it over my head as slowly and seductively as I could. My breasts bounced as the cloth was pulled over them and when it was fully removed I held it in one hand before I gradually relaxed a finger at a time until it cascaded down to the surface below.

I tried to recall what the Asari and human dancers had told me when I inquired about how their techniques. Keep your body fluid, use all of your muscles to keep constant movement and never stop for even a moment. Hips should always be moving, keep your eyes focused on the target and push your breasts out to excite and tease them, despite Aria giving me the order to dance I could use my sex appeal to take a bit of control back. 

Soon I found my shorts disposed on the floor with myself fully naked sans my socks. Aria’s eyes were hungry, like she had been starved for days on end and I was the only morsel of sustenance for miles. I gulped and started to cover my chest with my arm across it until she stood up out of her seat. She sauntered over with her hips swinging like a pendulum. She stopped a few inches from her fully clad body being pressed against my bare equivalent. She brushed my hair and cheek with the back of her hand before cupping it with the other. I could feel my own desire leaking down inner of my thighs. Her fingers ran up and down the slit of my sex, toying and teasing my entrance with long and light strokes of her fingers. Her other hand snaked around my body, drawing me into her before depositing themselves atop my left breast as they ranged from soft pawing to tweaking of my nipples in a brilliant symphony of pain and pleasure mixing together into my euphoric moans.

Eventually she released me from her hold, the pleasure and ecstasy of her teasing and careful exploration of my body leaving me panting, the positive chemicals running through my brain all but killing the pain my chest was in. Aria extended her hand and lightly pushed me over with no effort, a side-effect from the lack of strength my body had from the pain-killers and fatigue I was feeling.

"You damn tease..." I smiled sweetly at her as she kicked off her boots and crouched down level with my legs that hung over the bed, feet resting on the floor.

"Don't worry Sky, I promise I won't tease you...much..." her voice was husky, tormenting and kindled the fire growing in my lower abdomen. She traced up and down the outside of my thighs with the tips of her fingers, lightly kissing up the inner portion of my thighs as I slowly spread them so she could gain access to my aching core, soft whimpers and a blush signifying my desperate need for pleasure. 

She chuckled at my impatient and eager expression that was written all over my face. She moved to nibble to inside of my thigh and I yelped in surprise at the hot sensation of pain with my leg kicking the air next to her. She was testing me, seeing how far I could go before I gave in and begged her for the service she would undoubtedly give me, but more than anything it was a power game. Aria loved her power as much as she enjoyed the sex. 

I wasn't in the mood to wait, I needed her then and there. I could live with the playful laughs and mocking she would give me for surrendering so quickly as long as I got to feel her body on mine, I just wanted to experience the writhing feel of pleasure only she could give me. 

"Please fuck me...Mistress..." I breathed out almost too quietly for Aria to register. She released my reddened skin from her mouth as she made her way over to my slit, tracing the outside of my lips and only just pushing down on the skin with an evil smile.

"Your wish is my command" she snickered and licked up my entrance with the flat of her tongue all the way to my clit and flicked it with the point of her tongue. I swear the jolt of pleasure nearly made me leap out my skin, the buzz of pleasure leaving me shivering and mumbling 'thank-you' with a shaky and frail voice. Aria took a moment to admire my the glistening wetness of my vagina, peppering soft kisses all along my thighs and pussy, leaving me toss and turn as I grabbed the sheets below me. Aria stuck her mouth onto my sex and began licking the folds of while slowly caressing my clit, occasional rubbing it with her thumb or teasingly bite it to excite me further . I writhed and held onto the blanket of our bed with even greater grip as each lick from Aria’s tongue sent off a small explosion of pleasure all over my body every time as my juices began to pour out, Aria was in the process of drinking them in and all I could do was moan and squeak about how much of a turn on it was. Eventually the feeling of pleasure and euphoria became too much to handle and it built up to the point where I couldn’t take it any more. My hips tightened and clasped around Aria's head, locking her in place and my eyes began to roll back as my entire body went numb before I felt the crashing waves of my orgasm overtake me.

Aria gently kept licking and caressing my pussy lightly to help ride out my orgasm with as much bliss as I could take. Soon she stopped and joined me on the bed, led next to me offering a smooth and passionate kiss that didn't feel to aggressive or too gentle as she stared deeply into my eyes after we broke away, a small trail of saliva connecting our mouths together with my gasping body below hers.

‘Goddamn I love her…’ She could see it in my eyes as I wasn’t composed under her at all, whenever she was around I was led completely bare for her to see. Current situation withholding. That being said if you were around Aria enough you could see little hints in her body language that made it easier to understand her. 

Namely her eyes, I found that particular fact out when I was daydreaming about her and she caught me staring and I got to see the delightful evolution between the upturned look her eyes had when confused which turned to thin slits when judging or thinking and then the same look, except for her furrowed brow, whenever she was enraged. Plus enraged was rather easy to see anyway, it was kind of Aria’s calling card during most scenario’s. 

In any case I could see the thoughts and feelings from Aria’s eyes: Guilt. Maybe it was guilt that she could never love me back. Earlier on that day I had been given hope by her refusing to hear out my confession in such words that I assumed she just wasn’t ready yet to give herself to me like that yet. But now I saw regret. Regret and fear. All that hope had fluttered away and now all I had in my gut was coiling sense of dread and fretfulness. Thanks to my all thoughts being too easily discernible upon my own face, Aria caught on to me just like she had with my thought of love. She began to pull away. 

Maybe from the guilt.

Maybe she felt guilty because she all she wanted from me was a loyal, submissive servant who she could tie down, clamp, cuff, tease and fuck until she couldn’t remember her own name. And she took too long to realise how I felt about her and realised I was too useful to simply get rid of.

But I enveloped her, I held on and wouldn’t let go. Ten years prior I decided I was done losing, done feeling the loss and pain the world held in reserve for me. I decided the only way I would lose something or someone ever again was through death. 

I had lost my parents. I had lost my home. I had lost my childhood. I had even lost my memories except for the burdensome flashes of horror.

I wasn’t going to lose Aria. 

“Please don’t Aria…please…” 

“Sky. That’s enough.” Her voice was unusually cruel and distant with me and although I didn’t entirely let her go I did take a step back as to gauge her face. It was as apathetic to my apparent sadness as you would expect of Aria. “Just go back to your apartment. I need to think more before I feel right doing this…” 

The façade of anger melted and I realised all of the guilt had been not being able to respond to my love in the same way. Yet. She was being tormented over my feelings and probably felt I was suffering just as much as she was, and whilst I was content with our current arrangement, I wouldn’t lie to myself over the sleepless nights when Aria was the only thing on my mind. I rested my head against her chest and sighed in a troubled manner that I was in no way serious about.

“Soon…?” I asked, trailing my finger along her shoulder and nibbling at the skin on her jawline. 

“I’m not making promises…” she kissed my forehead lovingly and brought me back to my feet before she spun me on the spot towards the stairs “Go get your rest Sky” and like that I quickly threw on my casual clothes before making way to the door of her apartment. I was about to step through it when I decided to steal one final glance at my Goddess. She stared back at me, her face a mix of emotions and torment that would in any other situation send my sprinting over to her and demanding to make it better. But I was the source of this pain and right now Aria needed to be alone. She needed time to think. She couldn’t even pretend or (in case she really was, who knew?) truly remain angry at me for too long.

I whipped my head away and stepped through the door, waiting for it to latch in place before I let the tears torrent from my eyes and run down my cheeks.

‘Closer. We were getting closer. Nobody ever said the greatest of loves ever had a happy route.’


	6. Just another Face in the Crowd

I had made my way onto the grandest stage of them all, the podium for where centuries worth of effort and compromise had been centred as well as the symbol of galactic unity: The Citadel. The extensively long arms that carried on for kilometres had a dark orange glow that mesmerised and hypnotised me with its beauty, no matter how I felt about the people who occupied, controlled it and poisoned it with their deceit and secrets, it still looked so beautiful to the point of encapsulating the mind.

And then there was me: A wanted criminal about to head into immigration screening and processing and was about to be certainly discovered and incarcerated for a lifetime.   
Unless you worked for Aria, she asked Garka for some kind of disruption device. The details have always been lost on me but from what I can recall I would activate it before heading into the screening room and when the scan passed over me it would rewrite the details on their system to create a false identity that Garka had already informed me about greatly. 

I kept my hood down for once, not many people I had committed crimes against ever so my face so much so as my general appearance. So letting people see my features was actually more of a defence than I’d care to admit in the situation I found myself in. That all being said I felt naked, I was surrounded by C-Sec, the Citadels personal security force who more than knew of my wrongdoings. I wasn’t twitchy and I wasn’t giving myself away by a lack of eye contact or acting in anyway suspicious but I was very paranoid. My mind constantly racing with ways that this could backfire. Good lord I knew it couldn’t go perfectly, my life was notorious for its bad luck.

 

I stood in the hallway for processing, a line of all different species looking to immigrate to the Citadel for different reasons. Some looking for a new home after all the displacement from the Reaper war, some were being promoted to new positions in the mega-galactic-companies that were situated in the Citadel and then there was me. A criminal. A crook. The forgotten triplet of the Cray’s (maybe that was a bit far, but for C-Sec I may as well have been a Cray). 

I absent-mindedly whistled as the line brought me closer and closer to the immigration officer as I swung my hips back and forth while balancing on my toes, I was too occupied in my thoughts to see how childish I looked. One kid someway behind me laughed, waved to me and his ecstatic reaction to my idiosyncrasies gave me a little grin. I was always a bit maternal when it came to kids, though I rarely had the chance to encounter them on Omega given my profession. 

‘I wonder if Aria ever wanted a child…’ my unrestrained thoughts gave in to hopeless abandon and started considering concepts far too ahead of where we were. I shot up from the ideas of me and Aria cradling a child, smiling and laughing as I dealt with the issues of being a Mother. My face flushed and I shut my eyes closed of the universe around me, trying to recompose myself. 

‘Sky…don’t get too ahead of yourself…’ I chastised myself.

“Next please.” I reared my head back to observe what was in front of me to see the Turian immigration officer working on his console and beckoning me forward. I quickly jumped ahead and stood as casually as I could, praying to whatever deity would listen to make sure that what Garka had given me would work. “Name?” he asked, just making sure I was who I said I was.

“Alice Liddell sir.” Garka said it had some kind of origins to a galactic-famous tale from Earth and more specifically England. Though I was still uneducated apart from how to conduct illegal acts.

“And your reasons for staying? Business or pleasure?” 

“Business. Strictly.” 

He gave one last look at his console and then back to me before hitting in some final keys and the door behind him slid open.

“Okay, you’ve got a two-week pass as you applied for and after that if you have been found to have stayed longer than permitted you will be arrested, fined and then kicked off the Citadel with a preliminary suspension: Do you understand?”

“Of course sir” I nodded and he gestured for me to walk through the door before he called for the next candidate to be processed.

‘Okay Garka, nice work’ I had to admit that the Batarian came through for me when I needed it. As soon as I had heard the doors seal behind me and I found myself in the middle of a moderately congested street of the Citadels Zakera ward. Shops lined the streets with all different kinds of different merchandises on sale be it weapon parts, spaceship segments and even fish. That final one never made much sense to me but to each their own I suppose. 

 

I now had my objective to consider, before I left for the Citadel I had contacted an old friend from when I had grew up on the streets of Omega: Zach Howards. Along with me and a handful of other parent-less war orphans we would steal food and rely on each-other to survive. No-one on Omega cared about useless starving children, so we worked hand in hand to survive since we didn’t have to be dependent on anyone else. We were like siblings always looking out and comforting each-other whenever we needed it.   
After a while we all drifted apart, some became hitmen, some got arrested and some died. But not Zack, he had made his living surrounding information and selling it. He always managed to get me the information I needed when Aria sent me on missions where I had little to operate and investigate on. Rumours had even spread that he was a trusted subordinate of the Shadow Broker. 

 

I left the details of our meeting out of the message I sent him but he seemed more than willing to help me and meet up like old times. He told me to meet him in the Presidium and did he have good taste in areas to meet. It was upper-class and then some. Shining white buildings, beautiful blue artificial sky and sun that still gave that nourishing and relaxing burst of warmth across my exposed segments of skin.

I saw him leaning on a railing off towards a café-like area watching the pristine blue waters gently flowing down the predetermined path outlines by the architects. His light-black skin looked smooth in the sunlight, basking in the glowing rays of that unfortunately fake sun. I walked over and leaned my back on the railing next to him.

“Lovely weather we’re having?” I smiled a little too cockily and he immediately caught on and neatly banged his head against the railing in frustration.

“Damn it Sky! We agreed on ‘summer rays are bad for your skin’ as a password!” he scrunched up his face and I chuckled before ruffling his short black hair.

“What? It’s not like we’re Spectre’s or something” he conceded the point “I missed you…”

“Yeah I missed you too” He pulled me into a hug with his powerful arms and I wrapped mine around the upper-middle of his back. I hated being smaller than everyone I loved. “Shit, what happened to your face?” he went to pick up my chin and observe the wounds I had suffered during my encounter with the Eclipse Mercs when I lightly swatted his hand away.

“Slow down cowboy, no need to play hero” he seemed wounded by that “It was a mission involving some Mercs that Aria wanted dealing with. Don’t worry they got it much worse than I did” Reassured, if only slightly, he shifted his weight and let the point pass. For now at least. Though he seemed slightly nervous and concerned about how easily I could refer to killing without appearing or sounding remorseful.

“Still working for Aria?”

“Yep.”

“And how’s that going?” I moved my mouth to speak but found words failing me. It was too difficult to find the right words to use to explain it all. It was both good and bad but you wouldn’t understand why unless you were there. Unless you could comprehend the length of time I had racked my brain over how Aria felt and if there was any real possibility of the two of us moving towards romance rather than satiating our carnal desires “Uh oh, trouble in paradise?” 

“More like trouble on our way to paradise…I hope. Let’s not focus on that for now. Please.” I couldn’t help but be truthful with Zack, about my hopes and fears, but I wasn’t in the right place to crush him in the tidal wave of information about my trepidations. He nodded gently before looking back over the Presidium, trying to find an avenue of escape from our awkward and unbearable conversation.

“So Sky Atlas huh? Girl who blew up a whole building worth of politicians in this very Presidium, back in the Citadel”

“The one and only baby” it was odd he was bringing up old topics like this, though I suppose my work could be considered shocking enough to still talk about. “And they were corrupt. They had it coming.” I corrected before I let my smile fade and stared at Zach “I need information on a group, a group called-”

“A group called ‘Veiled Goods’, I know Sky” he cut me off and looked ahead back over the river of the Presidium while refusing to look back at me. He looked distant, a thought passing across his mind that looked painful for him, I wanted reach out and ask about what he was thinking but there were more pressing issues at hand.

“Wait, how did you know about them? I left them out of the message.” I took a step closer as I eyed him, suspicious of him. I probably should have been more trusting of a close friend, but ‘Veiled Goods’ had me on edge.

“As soon as you contacted me on Omega and left to come here Lorki informed me that despite our preference be to wait until you had a bigger price on your head, we would have to take our chance. You walked right into our hands without us having to plan anything” 

“Wait…no…Zach you’re not saying you’re…?” my voice was rickety with anxiety and betrayal, cracking at the idea he could be one of them. My chest was rising and falling unevenly, eyes stinging with tears as his hands tightened on the railing until they went pure white.

“Yeah. I am. It’s how I always got information for you. I’m kinda the reason they’re interested in selling you since I made you such a well-known criminal with all the help I’ve given you. My superiors told me to contact C-Sec and tell them where you were. I get my crimes absolved, my bosses and I get a huge pay out from handing you over.” as he finished that point I heard the unfolding of guns from behind me. I turned to see at least 20 C-Sec officers moving over and soon surrounding me with their weapons primed to shoot. “I’m so sorry Sky…I didn’t want this to happen…” I could see the remorse and self-loathing in his voice. But that didn’t make me feel any better. I had been stabbed in the back by the closest thing I’d ever had to a brother.

“Sky Atlas, please place your hands behind your head and interlock your fingers!” one officer yelled but I barely registered the command. I couldn’t take my eyes off of Zach.

“Why Zach…? I thought you cared about me…I thought…” The tears had started running down my face at this point as I grabbed the fabric of his coat in some kind of desperation for it all to be a bad joke. 

“I did. I loved you. I’ve always loved you. If it wasn’t for Aria I could have kept you safe…”

“Save it. You could have warned me…you could have done anything else…” I was resigned to defeat as a C-Sec officer grabbed me from behind, kicked the back of my knees to knock me down onto my knees and cuffed my hands behind my back.

“If you betray Veiled, you may as well be painting a giant target on your back. I had to Sky…I had to.” they picked me up and started dragging me away. I didn’t have the strength in me to scream at him. To curse and insult him. There wasn’t any point in it. I’d lost. Veiled Goods had bested me before we had even gotten started. And the worst part is they hadn’t even orchestrated it. It was my own ignorance about a friend being a part of them, but how could I have seen that coming? Chance had screwed me over. 

A separate officer came over to Zach with a tablet in hand “Mister Howards, you’re crimes of bleeding information from the Citadel Private Servers has been absolved. Thank you for you and your company’s involvement in capturing the fugitive.” that hurt me hearing that. Excruciating and unbearable pain to know that was all I was worth to Zach. My heart completely sank and I let the tears fall in complete freedom.

 

It wasn’t my first time in prison. Or an interrogation room in this sense. With the synthesis of so many contrasting emotions swirling around my young, impressionable and ill-tempered mind I didn’t react in the most mature and perhaps patient of ways.

“Let me the fuck out you fuckers!” I started booting the locked door as I screamed like a child throwing a tantrum, snarling and growling whenever I struck the cold hard metal. “That bastard sold me out!” I went to kick the door one final time when it slipped open at the last moment causing me to lose my footing and collapse backwards on my behind.   
I looked up with the most intense scowl I could muster to see a middle-aged man with greying-dark blonde hair that was shaven short at the sides.

“A loud one then?” He crossed his arms and looked down with the faintest of smiles before offering a hand to my shackled pair. It seemed like an abnormally warm and hospitable gesture towards someone who was all but considered a terrorist. Regardless sitting on my ass made me feel embarrassed somewhat, so I took the hand offered to me and followed him over to the table in the middle of the room, a one-way mirror off to the side where no-doubt more officers were watching the ongoing events.

“Who the hell are you and why should I care?”

“Sharp-tongued? You’ve spent too much time around Aria, Sky…” he leaned across slightly “I’m Commander Bailey” 

“Oh for fucks sake…of course it would be you…” I huffed frustrated.

“I’m not sure I follow?” He leaned back in his chair.

“Aria” his head bobbed back and he took on an expression of understanding from the name alone. “What the hell do you want Bailey? You’ve already got enough info on me to lock me up for centuries so why go through this whole interrogation bull?”

“I’m not one to just listen to the Council when they give out an order. Not without some context first.”

“I blew up a fucking building and killed a bunch of politicians. Last time I checked the context won’t stop that from being murder” I rolled my eyes and placed my cuffed hands on the table before taking a quizzical look at them. “What are these things anyway? I can’t use biotics.”

“You mean you tried?” he seemed confused by my half-admission. 

“I’d rather go down fighting than be locked up in a cell for the rest of my life” I said innocently at the accusation. “Doesn’t matter. You guys are already in on the deal, probably already got your cut of the credits right?” my question raised one of Bailey’s eyebrows and he gestured something to the mirror. Soon after the cameras occupying the corners of the room turned off and he leaned closer to me.

“What deal exactly?”

“You seem to be putting a lot of faith in a wanted criminal.” I smirked, now I had the control of the situation and it felt vindicating.

“Let’s say I’ve got a pretty good hunch when it comes to these things. Walk me through it Sky, and I might be able to broker a deal for you” Maybe Aria was a good judge of character, the kind of cop who was so good at his job and judgement of people that he could see when something bigger was at stake. 

I leaned across myself “There’s a group working with the Eclipse on Omega. They’ve got this huge bankrolled information system that they use to sell whatever people need be it illegal or otherwise. Anyway, they were selling enough Red Sand in single shipments to expand their trade into Council space. They also have the resources, and this is just an assumption here based on the amount of Sand they were talking about, to hire a big enough army to help the Eclipse overthrow Aria and then continue to expand their trade into more and more space. The Eclipse get control of the Terminus System and this group get a constant income by selling the Sand to the Eclipse who’ll need it for their biotics and the customers they happen to be selling the Sand to. And then you’re looking at a full-scale war with Omega” I explained and leaned back into my chair, trying my best to gesture that I had just laid everything on the table. Metaphorically of course.

It took Bailey a few moments to register everything I had just said and then longer to process it. He bit the inside of his mouth trying to decide if it was truly possible. “And why are you here of all places? Why not bolster the defences?”

Trust, I had earned enough trust that he hadn’t completely shunned the idea that I had placed in front of him. “Aria knew I had an informant of my own on the Citadel. We heard he knew the Shadow Broker so I was meant to try and set up a meeting. Turns out…” I kicked the leg of the table and it turned at an angle from the force I had put in the kick “…He was a fucking traitor. Makes me look pretty stupid…”

“So why didn’t they just kill you?”

“Because I’m worth a lot of credits to the Council. Arrest the terrorist, increase moral of civilians and ease concern. Plus some of your men seemed in on it and Zach got all his crimes erased.” I explained and Bailey sighed.

“I figured as much. It all seemed to well…too thought out for a regular sting-operation” He pushed himself up off the desk “Unfortunately Sky I can’t help you too much with that, even as Commander of C-Sec I don’t have enough pull to get you out of this. A lot of people want your head for what you did. I’m sorry, but I’ll try my best to do what I can” Bailey began to walk off when a flash of brilliance crossed my mind.

“Maybe you can’t help me but…what if you contacted someone above the law? A Spectre perhaps?” My smile was back to its confident state it took when I was around Aria. 

Bailey gave off a low chuckle “You know Sky…it’s a shame you ended up a hitman like you did. You’d have made a good officer…” Bailey walked out the door and I simply stared up at the dark blue metal of the ceiling.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about” I chuckled.


	7. Where no gods are, Spectres Rule:

I sat idly by as I waited for Bailey to either condemn me to prison, a public execution, or god-knows-what. I had to be sat there in monotone silence for something akin an hour, although I had no way of knowing how long it had been, until the electrical compartments of the door blared into life as it split apart to reveal Bailey and a Turian at least half a foot taller than him following closely in sleek silver armour with a blue decal. He had some kind of holographic visor running over his left eye. What was more interesting, or more noticeable in any case, was the horrific scarring over the whole right side of face that wasn’t unlike my hips markings. The skin was warped and darker than the rest of his skin, the full disfigurement even continued down his neck. I was lucky mine was so discreet, this Turian had no choice but for everyone to observe and judge him because of those scars. Though after the reaper war, scars like that were more common place than I’d care to admit.

“This is the girl I told you about Garrus, make of her story what you will” Bailey gave a respectful nod and let the Turian pass him by until he stood across the table from me, eyeing me, trying to decipher who I was and what was so important about me.

“Sky Atlas…hmmm…Bailey already filled me in on the details of your story. I’m Garrus Vakarian, Council Spectre and all-round Turian bad-boy who can pick you off with a sniper shot from any distance.” His tone was cocky and all-too cheesy for my liking, my time with Aria helped me pick apart when someone had rehearsed a particular line rather than come up with on the spot. If I chose to I could shatter his supposed self-confidence with a few well-delivered lines. But that would also ruin any chance of getting back to Omega. All this guy was to me was a tool to be used so I could get away, and the first chance I got I decided I would bolt and abandon him. I had to secure my exit first though. 

“Cute. But I hope they don’t give out Spectre-status for being cute?” Maybe I was trying to take him down a peg further than I intended with the flirting, but I didn’t see any harm in it.

He waved the point off with a chuckle before placing both hands flat on the table and leaning in to me perhaps trying to intimidate me with his presence alone “So a supposedly non-existent organisation plans to start a shadow-war on Omega by backing the Eclipse there and then possibly push into Council space? Seems a little hard to believe without…evidence. Got any?” 

“Wish I could say I did…but I don’t. All I have is the premise that it could happen for you. These guys are well-known…or maybe not…for covering their trails” my casual realisation of the logical fallacy made him smirk a little “You’d have to trust me. That’s all there is to it.” 

“Trust you? A terrorist? I know what Omega’s like. I was a vigilante their ten years ago and with just a few well-trained and battle-hardened soldiers could take down the Eclipse, Blue Suns and Blood Pack in a few hours. Now, you expect me to believe that one of those groups can take down Aria’s entire operation with the backing of some people who deal in Red Sand and secrets? I’m not buying it.”

“And yet, you came here anyway.” A slight twitch formed at the corner of his mouth and he stood up straight before crossing his arms.

“Because I already know all about what’s going on in Omega” I let my eyebrows spring up to finally let what had been a stoic expression on my part evolve into astonishment. 

“Want to run that by me again? How?” I questioned, wanting to lean in but was halted by my restraints that had magnetised to the underside of the edge on my half of the table. 

Perfect, I felt completely trapped and under his control. I felt shaken and weak, two things that caused me to grimace. Being controlled by Aria was always different, I had a semblance of control over what we did and what was occurring in our privacy. But now I was entirely on display for people who I didn’t know to judge and control me without my consent. It was hollow and demeaning, the entire purpose of the one-way mirror was to fill you with anxiety at being judged, and the lack of clarity over it only added to the second-guessing as well as willingness to give in. 

“I have a very good friend who also deals in secrets. She knows all about ‘Veiled Goods’ and has been keeping a very close eye on them as of late…”

“I’m sure I already know but why?”

“She says they’ve been making moves. Putting more collective funding into weaponry, soldiers as well as frigates and dreadnaughts. Like an army” he said as his voice took on a much darker, despondent tone.

“How big of an army?” my tone dropped, serious and cagey.

“Enough to take over Omega and then some” He sighed and brought his hand up to his forehead as he tried to rub the tension away. “We have a few ideas on where they’re operating but nothing concrete. As you said, they cover their tracks well. Not well enough to be completely silent but well enough so we can’t find them.”

“So why come to me then? I don’t know anything important except for what you already know.” It was more than clear that Garrus had some kind of agenda, he wouldn’t come here otherwise. It was just hard to nail it down to anything.

“Simple: They want you. I’d hazard a guess that if I happen to ruin a deal for them involving you, piss them off, they’ll come looking for you again” so he was looking for bait, someone to place on a hook and offer up to sharks. I didn’t give him enough credit to begin with, he was cunning and willing to take any opportunity to achieve his goal.

I let out a long whistle of impression “So you take me, tempt them out and get the answers you need then?” It didn’t matter to me, neither could I really afford to be picky given our current circumstances. And I suppose the old saying ‘The Enemy of my Enemy is my Friend’ was also very applicable here.

“Got a problem with that? Or would you rather me tell them to warm your cell up for you?”

I’ll admit, I was beginning to like his quick wit when he could pull it out.

“I suppose I could reorganise my schedule to replace life imprisonment with helping a Spectre out.”

“Just so we’re clear, I’m not letting you out just to give you the freedom to hunt down whoever you think is responsible. We play this by the book: We investigate for evidence of an individual’s involvement before anyone even thinks of going gung-ho” 

I remembered their being plenty of jokes about Turians being obsessed with rules and regulations to the point it dominated their society. That being said I could see Vakarian as more of an exception to the prejudice that the galactic community had decided of them. That being said he still felt it necessary to reiterate that I was basically nothing more than a prisoner to him. So I suppose he was a nice mesh of the two.

“Yeah sure, you won’t have to worry about me killing every random suspect.” I must have sounded both slightly irritated and also obedient to his whims and demands of me since I wanted to get out of C-Sec as quickly as possible given the dirty cops they had in their system. Whilst none of them would kill me the same couldn’t be said for Garrus or my hopes of getting back to Aria. I had to do whatever it would take in order to reunite with Aria and help her, even if that meant bending over backwards to put Garrus’ paranoia (or in this case suitable suspicions) of me trying to escape or lie to him. 

“All-right then, I’m going to take a gamble with you. Nothing ever good came by playing it safe before…” he seemed to laugh at some inside joke he had. He probably had some insane stories being a Spectre after all but regardless I was out of the loop. “But you should keep those biotic-supressing handcuffs on if you want me to keep trusting you” I snarled at the final comment but nodded quietly to him in order to submit to another demand. I didn’t have to like it. I just had to bear with it. 

 

Garrus finally gave in and ultimately brought me amnesty from the interrogation room and C-Sec headquarters before taking me down a small public street towards a parked Sky-car by the side of the road that he had explained was his. I wanted to keep my hood up in order to hide my face from the judging gaze of the public, I was surprised so many people recognised him (not by his scarring’s, they were rather distinct) but by the actions and titles they gave him such as ‘War Hero’ and ‘Reaper-Slayer’ and if the second one had any hint of truth to it then my desire to stay with him escalated quite dramatically. Anyone who had destroyed even a single one of those monsters was a hero to me. Rather ironic, since I had very little attachment to the concept at all. Still, Garrus informed me that it would be rather pointless of me to hide myself since my face was already being broadcasted as the ‘Terrorist who attacked the Citadel four years ago’ so hiding what had already been seen was redundant. I gave him that and it did seem rather irrational to not take credit for my own action.

Eventually we both took our seats in the car and we took off into the sky of the Citadel as Garrus began navigating us towards the direction of a Spectre docking port where his ship was. When I asked what ship he commanded he was rather…deflective around the topic. Calling it a surprise and that I would be shocked to see it but not ignorant of its existence. I didn’t really know any major vessels that were still in working condition after the Reaper war, despite the unification of all the races in the Galaxy (except for the Salarians who refused to work with the Krogan and the Batarians who were all but wiped out) most of the ships involved in the battles took extensive damage and had to be decommissioned afterwards. 

I decided whatever type of ship it was didn’t matter. I was convinced enough by his shrewd demeanour that he had one and that was good enough for me. 

 

“So you used to be a vigilante huh?” I interrupted the brief silence between us and his hands almost froze from operating the controls in front of him for an insignificant moment before going back to their jobs.

“Aria told you then?” his voice was slightly distant, I could swear that was that deep and hollow sound of pain to it but I couldn’t begin to tell you why at the time. 

“Something about an ‘Angel’ or something. Apparently you pissed a lot of people off. Surprised you didn’t piss her off” I was trying to be somewhat provocative I will admit, at least to try and get some context on how an ex-vigilante could become a Spectre with ties to the biggest information broker in the galaxy. It sounded like a very interesting tale.

“It was something the locals of Omega gave me: ‘Archangel’ I wasn’t too partial to the name but it went someway to show how appreciative they were of our actions. My team and I wanted to bring some justice to Omega. We never targeted Aria or her organisation since they allowed the citizens their freedom and didn’t target the innocent. I suppose she was the lesser evil.” Garrus explained thought it was obvious to me he was excluding some important details since all the major mercenary groups still existed on Omega. Maybe ‘failure’ wasn’t the correct term to use but he obviously didn’t succeed in stabilising Omega. “I’m glad Aria has become a lot more lenient with the citizens and their lives at least since she was last retook Omega” I nodded at that, from what I had been told of Aria’s personality after retaking Omega from Cerberus she had softened considerably. Not so much that she wouldn’t point a gun at someone breaking into her apartment, but soft enough she would only have sex with them and force them into the choice between death and working for her. I would have hated to experience the same situation without the softening incident she went through. 

“She has. She even let the Talons take over as Omega’s private security force in most areas, alongside some of her own of course but they operate independently to Aria most of the time. She’s more interested in cementing her rule by making the people feel happy and keeping the other gangs in check” I explained to Garrus but I already predicted that he would have known as much, so it was more of an admission of circumstances to myself than him. We allowed for a few more moments of silence to pass, I twiddled my thumbs together as best I could factoring in my bindings.

“I read up on your file.” He seemed to hesitate slightly after ending his sentence, as if testing the water of my reaction to see if I became volatile. “Is it true you were in London at the end of the war?” I shot him a look of bewilderment at the question “Not all knowledge Spectres have is concrete you know…”

“It is when you have the Shadow Broker in your pocket” I glared back out the corner of my eye as I refocused my attention on my hands below and the occupation I had taken up on trying to connect the digits of either hand.

He chuckled slightly at my offhand comment “True, but she only has access to all information, that doesn’t mean all information is right or trustworthy” I tilted my head in compromise at the point.

I took a long pause before feeling the urge to regurgitate the memories that I despised so much, be it for justification of my lifestyle or sympathy. “I spent the whole war in London. I used to go see Chelsea matches with my Dad when I was little…blue was my favourite colour, that’s one of the few reasons I looked forward to going to the matches…now I hate that colour…” Flashes of that azure blaze sweeping over my home came roaring back, along with all the pain it carried “I can barely remember anything from before the war. It's all jumbled and blurred. Some things stand out. Others are confusing. I can remember growing up in Fulham with my Mother and Father. They were both ex-military, they had served on a couple of Alliance frigates for 15 years until I was born and then took on civilian lives for my sake. When I was 12…the Reapers just fell out the sky and destroyed everything…whole roads were obliterated in seconds. I don’t think anyone can say that they were unaffected by the war, but London certainly got the worst…” I gave Garrus the short version, I skipped over the scrapes, scars, blood and broken limbs for his sake. No-one wants to hear the story of a little girl suffering.

“What happened to them?” Surprisingly he didn’t stop his inquiry into my past. If I was shocked I didn’t show it this time, I just kept up my stoic expression as I fiddled with my hands. 

“They signed back up as soon as it was evident every able bodied person was needed for the fight. I was spared the details…but they died quickly after boarding their ship…” I was certain that was the end of the conversation, otherwise all it would lead to was more sympathy over my loss and that was just bitter to hear at this point.

But Garrus let out a long and weary sigh “I was close to your location if The Shadow Broker’s information is to be believed…I was involved with the final push for the Citadel. It’s…painful to know if we had of taken a moment to look around we could have helped…” I looked up to Garrus to see real anguish written across his alien features.

“Don’t regret what you did Garrus.” It was his turn to look surprised this time and I found myself trying to supress a smile from breaking out across my face. “If you hadn’t focused your attention on the enemy then everyone would be dead. Everyone. I’d be dead. I suffered more than anyone can ever imagine suffering, sure, but I survived. We lost a lot of people…a lot of good people…but thanks to you we didn’t lose everyone.”

For once I was able to look back with a little optimism at what had happened. In many ways a hero hadn’t come and rescued me from the nightmare, but they gave me the chance to step out into a new world and live for myself. I wasn’t thankful for my situation but I suppose that was one of the first times I was ever thankful for my life.   
That was the extent of our conversation. I couldn’t tell if I had put Garrus’ demons to rest, but the pain certainly began to ebb away from his expression and body language at least. He must have found as much pain and regret over not doing enough to help people like me from suffering as I had from suffering myself. In either case, I found a sibling in loss and pain: Garrus Vakarian.


	8. Collapse

Being compassionate about Garrus’ own concerns came as much of a shock to me as it most likely did for anyone reading. I actively limited references to my past as much as I could for obvious reasons. But still I managed to empathise with his turmoil and torment like we were some kind of kindred spirits. I suppose that was even more so when I pushed Garrus out of the way of gunfire. 

 

We had just entered into the main area of the docking bay after leaving the elevator and proceeding down a small corridor where a waiting area was situated off to the side resided. It was silent, abnormally so, without even immigration officers at their desks. I pretended not to notice it at first until the bodies of two C-Sec guards dropped dead from around the corner at the end of the corridor. Single gun-shot wounds to the back of their heads execution style. Garrus I and shared a look of horror at the semi-rolled back eyes of the guards as blood dripped down and stained their uniforms. Whoever had done this clearly had anticipated our arrival and was attempting to provoke some kind of dread at the dead guards. Instead we readied ourselves, as much as I could cuffed and without my biotics as a result.

Garrus moved to pull out his rifle from his back when the perpetrators appeared out of thin air as their cloaking disengaged. 

Eclipse Mercs.

I had no idea what overcame me at that moment in time, but I felt the unconscious necessity to tackle Garrus out of the way when the bullets started raining on the spot we had been stood. We landed with a heap behind some of the metal plated seating. With a groan I rolled off of Garrus and pulled out my pistol, listening to the uncoordinated hail of bullets impacting the metal as well as taking in the constant vibrations that each bullet sent ringing around the room. 

“How the hell are they always a step ahead?” I yelled before reaching for my gun, then I noticed my cuffs were still on. I cursed loudly and looked to Garrus “I can be more help if you take these off!”

“And what stops you from stabbing me in the back?” Garrus argued as he peeked over cover before a stray shot barely deflected over him thanks to our cover “Crap!” he cursed before dropping back down.

“Nothing! But don’t you think it would be better to be betrayed later down the road than to die here worthlessly? You’re a Spectre, evaluate your options!” Garrus grimaced at the situation, he had to put his pride on the line by placing his trust in a convicted criminal. 

“To hell with it!” he swiped his Omni-tool over my bindings, which released their constricting-grip around my wrists and fell to the floor below with a thud. Red marks stained my wrists, though that and the pulsing pain they left along with that was the least of my worries at that time. The tingling of my biotics kicked in as my barriers overwhelmed my body in a feeling of intense protection. The gentle glimpse of dark blue and purple swirling around me reminded me of Aria, and I remembered what I was fighting for giving me plenty of incentive to do whatever I deemed necessary to reunite with her.

“Garrus, I’ll provide cover, you take them out!” I rolled out of cover and stopped in a crouch back to where we had been previously standing when the Mercs had revealed themselves. Now I had a chance to observe the number of enemies we were facing and calculate our odds. Whatever good that would do. Ahead was roughly four human Eclipse Mercs and a Quarian. A familiar Quarian at that, if that meant anything given how they all looked similar to me back then. But it was Lorki, of that I was sure. He stood behind them as they all fired their avenger rifles at either me or Garrus, two on either of us. I bared my teeth as I held up my hands and began generating a protective bubble to negate their volley of bullets. Whilst I made a good distraction for Garrus to get off a few shots of his own, even hitting one of the Mercs attacking him through the thigh and scrapping another’s shields, my biotics could only keep up against such a rapid onslaught of firepower for so long and soon I knew I would find myself without any protection against those rounds before long. Fortunately, however strangely, Lorki held up his hand in a signal for his soldiers to stop and they obeyed, though their weapons were still trained on the two of us. 

“Miss Atlas, you really are causing us problems. I wouldn’t have expected a criminal like you to come to a Spectre’s aid…” he said, his voice dripping with sarcasm as he looked over to Garrus, the glow of his eyes behind his mask making that all too obvious.

“I’m capable of many heroic acts, if the reward is intriguing enough” I shot back as I lowered my barriers.

“What are you doing Sky?! Are you insane?!” Garrus asked as he kept his finger running up and down the trigger of his rifle. 

“If he wanted us dead he would have brought more than four guards…” I smirked for a brief moment before the sound of someone deactivating their cloak behind me made my entire face fall at being so stupid “Great, embarrass me first? Then kill me? Nicely done sadist…” whoever was behind me, I assumed a Merc, wrapped their arm around my neck and placed their gun to the centre of my back and held my in place despite my struggles.

“Don’t worry Sky, I don’t plan on killing you. Despite ruining my plans to sell you to the council since now they know what you look like and can catch you whenever they decide, you’re still very useful to me. I can make Aria surrender all of Omega if I use you as a hostage…” He slowly made his way over to me and crouched in front of me, running a curved blade under my chin he unsheathed from his arm. “And if I captured the Spectre who slaughtered Omega’s Mercenary groups, I could gain the loyalty of the Blue Suns and Blood Pack. Oh yes, you both still have a large part to play. But I’ll let these Eclipse soldiers of mine play with you for a bit, let them blow off some steam after what you did to their brethren” He chuckled quietly to himself before standing up straight again “Don’t kill them” he brandished his finger like a blade “They’re worth more to me than your life, do what you want but keep them alive enough that they can still talk afterwards. Make sure you take them to our forward base quickly. Don’t linger here.” the Merc he was talking to nodded affirmatively and Lorki began walking off.

“Where are you going Lorki?! How are you planning to take over Omega?! Aria won’t just hand over Omega for me, you’re naïve to think so!” I screamed after him and he stopped in his stride, taking a moment to consider this.

“Well, I’d be inclined to explain what I want to you, but you cost me a lot of money Sky. So we’ll call it even?” he laughed manically to himself as he turned off towards the right where a ship was being stationed and disappeared from my sight. I continued in vain anger to wrestle against the firm grip of the Merc behind me, so fixed and strong that I couldn’t even move my head to check on Garrus. 

“What should we do with her?” one Eclipse mercenary asked to one of his squad mates, who knelt down in front of me and drew his Carnifex and held it steadily to my knee. By breathing hitched and then stopped entirely as he teased and brushed the trigger with two fingers, meaning thoughts must have been racing through his head as to how he could make me suffer. I felt the beads of sweat rolling down my head. My jaw was tightening the longer he took to the point I had well bitten through the skin of my bottom lip, blood running to the point of my chin. Heart racing, mind tormenting me over and over about my inevitable fate.

“Just do it already!” I screamed at him as I desired this torture to be finished, for the prologue of my inevitable demise to be completed. He pulled the trigger and the bullet passed through my knee at point blank range. The bone shattered, tendons ripped apart like some kind of cheap elastic band. They released me, allowing me to collapse helplessly to the floor below in a shivering mess. My breathing became erratically rapid with no real consistency. My hands trembled from the agony along with tears running down my eyes and the smallest ebbs of saliva escaped from my mouth that helped to contrast the pool of blood that originated from my knee. 

“Sky!” Garrus’ voice sounded so distant to me, but it was an obvious mix of concern and anger. I had no idea what they were doing to him and I barely had enough concentration or willpower to look over to him.

“Not so tough now are you without Aria to back you up huh?” The shooter bent down to me and nudged my passive face with his weapon, the end of the barrel stained in my blood.

“Just…finish it…” I begged, pleading weakly to him. All I was compensated with was a swift kick to my chin straight after he stood back up, rolling me onto my back. My vision blurred and doubled as I looked up to the lights above me. The whole world was twirling below me.

“Sorry Atlas, gotta keep you alive. Boss said so after all.” Every word he spoke was like a blunt knife being dropped from above onto me. Some pierced the skin and caused unimaginable pain and some just grazed my body before bouncing off to the floor below. But none of them brought the sweet release of death I desired. He chuckled momentarily   
before he fell quiet. I couldn’t keep my focus on what was happening, but soon bullets began flying towards our attackers and riddled them all, bodies began falling all around me. The rhythmic clatter of led on metal and the indignant screams of the Mercs felt like an orchestra of combat and death. Blood stained the walls around me with the dents of the bullets that ripped through my enemies.

They were dispatched within seconds of the attack and even if I had managed to keep my mental faculties in check I doubt I would have been able to properly comprehend what was going on. I felt my eyes grow heavy, figures of new individuals surrounded me and one called out that I was still breathing. My chest was falling and rising in an uneven manner, the amount of breath I was taking in wasn’t anywhere close to the carbon dioxide I was expelling.

Gentle hands ran under my hair, a single Asari lifted my head onto her lap and ran her Omni-tool over my wounded knee. She looked beautiful, just like all Asari were to me but she was something else. She looked kind and patient and yet there was a feeling of inner strength that could make all who saw her nervous. She wasn’t focused on my eyes but the wound and my breathing, observing with detail whilst making sure she didn’t waste time. She had the slightest tint of blue running over her white armour that matched her cobalt skin.

“Patella fracture in six places, fractures of the Proximal Tibia, multiple lacerations to the skin and muscle around the wound as well as ruptures to the medial, anterior cruciate and posterior cruciate ligaments in the knee.” She said softly and with great distress as an alliance soldier with both an N7 and Spectre commendation pinned to his armour walked over to her. 

“What should we do Doc?” he asked as he grimaced at my wounds, yet the Asari barely flinched when inspecting my wounds at close range. 

“I’m not that kind of Doctor, Staff-Commander, but if we were anywhere but the Citadel I would advise cutting it off and save her the trouble of keeping it” She looked away from the soldier who kept his place but yelled some orders for a stretcher and for someone to call C-Sec right away “Are you okay? Can you hear me?” She asked tenderly like a Mother would their child, in so many ways she seemed to be the opposite of Aria.

I nodded. Barely. My depth of vision was decreasing so her features became more and more obscure. The twirling feeling only increased more as time went on. I could just make out Garrus from the corner of my vision as he walked over, obviously getting the better of the situation which elicited a small laugh from me.

“Liara! How did you know we needed help?” Garrus asked astonished but with an obvious notion of gratitude. 

“You simply took too long, I got worried and brought over some of the Normandy’s crew just in case. I’m glad I did” 

“That makes two of us…three if Sky’s still conscious” Garrus replied guiltily about my wounds, and if I had to strength to reply I would have lectured that he had nothing to be guilty about.

“Conscious or not, I’m sure she’s happy that she’ll live to fight another day” Liara spoke with certainty in her voice.

And like that I found a stretcher being slipped under my body and hoisted upwards, carrying me towards a sky-car designed to act as an ambulance. With medi-gel hooked up to my veins, I soon found the pain dissipating and my perception with it. 

 

One day? Two days? I had no idea how long it had been. I awoke in a frenzy of worry and confusion in a hospital bed, an IV drip hooked up to the vein of my left arm. My shirt was all that remained of my clothes with some sanitised white hospital shorts. The unfamiliar scene along with my repression of the events that had me in the hospital made my heart race like a jackhammer. I wanted to stand but a blinding pain rushed up and down my leg when I tried to bend my knee. I wrapped both hands around the source of pain in an attempt to quell the suffering. It then struck me like a runaway freight-train, everything that had happened and the pain I had been through all came back to me. I bit onto the side of my fist to stop my screams of fear. Every step I took, Lorki seemed to push me back four or five steps. I curled up as best I could without bending my wounded knee. 

The door slid apart and a Salarian doctor stood with the Alliance soldier whom I had saw with the Asari who saved my life. No doubt I would have been dead without the two of them. He still wore his armour, his pistol holstered at his side and his rifled folded onto his back with his helmet under his arm. He had short brown hair that was shaven shorter at the sides and gelled upwards slightly at the middle with a scar running down across and eye and over his nose. 

“Staff-Commander Vega, I really don’t like how you’re not only carrying loaded weapons around my ICU but also how you won’t leave my patient alone!” the Salarian doctor complained and the soldier simply rolled his eyes and crossed his arms defiantly.

“Look, Liara assigned me to look after her. I’m not even all that willing to stay out the room while she’s unconscious…” he glared ever-so-slightly until he noticed my stirring around my knee and moved to my side “Hey! She’s awake!” He moved over to my side and placed his hands on the edge of my bed as he crouched down to meet my eye-level “You okay? You know where you are?” I pursed my lips for a few seconds looking for words, before deciding on a weak nod as a reply.

“Commander Vega, I think I’m better suited to diagnose my patients then a soldier” The Salarian pushed in and the soldier moved off slightly before leaning against the wall with his arms crossed.

“I’ve seen plenty of soldiers in my time react to injuries in the days after, I think I’m adequately qualified too” He quipped back but was ignored by the Doctor holding a light to my eyes and pulling my eyelids away to inspect deeper.

“Injury severe, possible signs of post-traumatic stress disorder.” He put the light back into his pocket and pulled the blanket from over me to look at my knee. I caught my breath at the scarring running around my knee with the skin puffy and red everywhere close it. It looked horrific, especially in comparison to my other knee that I could easily move. “You’re lucky, with a combination of Asari and Salarian surgical advancements as well as plenty of human tissue samples we were easily able to replicate the cartilage, tendons and ligaments that were damaged. The kneecap is another matter though, we can speed up the recovery of the bone after it was initially reconstructed, but you’ll be on crutches for at least four weeks while it heals.” The Salarian explained, but for the most part my knowledge of the human anatomy was scarce at best, all I could gleam from his words was that I would recover with time. Time that I didn’t have. I needed to catch up to and take down Lorki and I couldn’t do that from a bed, however, I wouldn’t have much choice if I couldn’t walk.

“So she won’t be able to walk for a month? Dios Mio…” Vega let out a deep breath of frustration and I shared the sentiment.

“No. That’s just when she’ll have recovered by. She’ll need to go through extensive physiotherapy and physical rehabilitation before she can walk again. I’d say a minimum of six months before she can walk by herself” I flung myself back onto my bed and blocked out all light from my eyes with my hands as I rubbed them, praying this all be some kind of bad joke. Lorki wouldn’t wait six months to attack Omega or anywhere else for that matter. The doctor turned towards Vega “As per Doctor T’Soni’s request I’ll allow you to guard her by yourself. Please respect her state of mind though. As I said, PTSD is a real possibility with the injury she sustained.” The doctor walked out the room and allowed me and Vega some time together. He observed me for a few brief moments, his face effectively displaying every emotion and thought he had about me.

I couldn’t care less about an Alliance soldier though or what he had to think about me. I led one arm over my eyes as I glowered in response to my situation and what Aria had to be going through. Her way of exerting tension and anger was either through our intimacy or killing her enemies. I imagined at this point there would be very few people left who opposed Aria’s rule on Omega. All I could do is lie there in my own stupor and defeat at the hands of Lorki while he planned whatever he planned.  
“Hey kid, you were on Earth right?” his voice was calm and careful like he was trying to work his way around a mine-field.

I could control my reaction and my temper, but what I couldn’t control was the images. Flash of blue, blood staining my legs, the searing of my skin from the fire, tears running down my face as those monsters lurched towards me. 

I closed my eyes and counted to ten. Kept telling myself it was all over, I was safe and they couldn’t hurt me. I opened my eyes to the sunny day that always seemed to occupy the Citadel and the constant sound of doctors discussing their patients and treatments. I wasn’t there anymore, I was here. I was going to survive.

“Yeah…I lived on Earth when it happened…” this was all too similarly heading in the same direction as the conversation with Garrus, it sickened me to talk about it so much. But these people had fought the battle on the ground and had seen their own fair share of horror I suppose. It’s difficult to keep the truth from someone you can mutually empathise with.

“Shit…sorry…you just…you find it difficult to believe you know? So many people suffered…” 

“We all suffered. The difficult part is moving on…” I argued and he nodded in agreement. It was difficult to find people unaffected, only children who were born afterwards were ignorant of all the death and destruction that had occupied the galaxy. 

“Yeah. We all lost people important to us…but what’s important is all the people we saved. That’s what helps me sleep at night.” Vega explained and I tilted my arm to gaze at Vega for a few moments before turning my head to the glass plain that also functioned as a wall.

“I don’t get many quiet nights. I wake up screaming, crying, asking for death…I think the only thing that kept me going for so long was my anger at the galaxy for just allowing the Reapers to exist after everything they did to us…” I said in a monotone and hopeless manner.

Vega kept quiet for a few moments as I enveloped myself in my dark demeanour and tried to make myself as unapproachable as possible. 

“How’s the knee then?” he finally asked after a few moments of blissful silence and accordingly shattered it.

“Crap.” I didn’t want to speak. I never saw eye-to-eye with the Alliance even when I lived on Earth. All the stories of humanity trying to expand and activate the relays when we had no idea where they could lead us reeked of the Alliance’s naivety. Plus they were apparently in on the deal of trying to ‘buy’ me. I didn’t want anything to do with another Alliance drone. I had barely been around this guy, I wasn’t his friend, I wasn’t his ally and I certainly didn’t want to hold any more of a conversation with him.

 

All I really wanted, was to see Aria, to hold her and take in the feeling of her skin on mine and her scent. I missed her. I loved her. I needed her.

I was becoming more than dependant on her by this point.


	9. A Region of France...

It had been an entire month since awaking in the hospital. James (the Alliance soldier) stayed by my side like some ignorantly loyal dog that was incapable of comprehending the indifference and dislike I had for him as well as the situation I was in, respectively. Every morning he would great me after I woke and bring me my food. He would help massage the wound and carry me to the machine that helped to build up and strengthen my cartilage.

I’ll admit that I slowly began to build up a rapport with him, even beginning to wish him a goodnight when he would leave for his apartment on the Citadel. It was bizarre and peculiar how infectious his and Garrus’ kindness and comradery were. I wasn’t opposed to it. I honestly almost welcomed it as it was a difficult task to keep up the clear signs of distaste I had for him, such as the sharp glares, my simple one-word answers and refusals of his aid when I needed it. Getting along with him was much easier than being ill-tempered with him, even though that was one of my better known traits. 

Get on my bad side, I blow up your diplomats. Maybe that was an extreme example, but still as accurate as any other.

 

Nevertheless, after only a month of recovery in which I was advised to put as little weight on my injured knee as possible, I was able to walk albeit stiffly. Light, slow and careful steps were all I could manage and anything faster than that proved to be counterproductive in terms of my recovery. Walking down stairs also proved incredibly taxing what with balancing my weight on one leg as I took each step, something that had led to me collapsing in pain when I attempted it. 

But it gave me a whole new sense of belief and confidence, it empowered my refusal to sit still and do nothing while Garrus and Liara were off hunting down Lorki. I wanted to convince James to release me from the prison that was the hospital and he was all too glad to abide by my desires as he was just as frustrated with the confines of the hospital. A seasoned veteran in the prime of his career must have been in the process of being driven insane with playing nurse to a grumpy terrorist. He found my clothing, or more accurately, went out shopping for exact replicas bar the hoodie that he replaced with an N7 equivalent (he said it would be part of my new identity aboard his ship as an N7 initiate, in case other people held some grudge against me). 

I appreciated the effort he put in, even though I assumed from the worn fabric that I wasn’t the first to wear it, nor was it in anyway new. But it was the thought that counts, and I offered a small blush of gratitude to James before he cockily smiled back at me and put an arm around me in order to steady my inconsistent balance and awkward style of walking where I moved my injured leg a whole half-step less than the other. 

I hadn’t taken the time to consider something for the entire time I was trapped in the hospital while I focused on recovering. I had plenty of time with my thoughts, plenty of time to regret and reflect over my mistakes and decisions. Yet I hadn’t once considered why James, the Alliance or even the Spectres continued to offer me protection. It had been a whole month and Omega could have been lost already, it would have made more sense to just abandon me and pursue their own interests. They already had a Shadow Broker who could tell them anything they needed to know and at least two Spectres who could request anything they need in order to track down and terminate Lorki. Despite all of that, all the logic I could apply with my minor (and few years) of education I couldn’t come to any reasonable conclusion. The only halfway adequate assertion I came to was that they may wanted to keep me for the bargaining usage I’d be with Aria. Though that seemed farfetched even to me. One thing I considered was that they knew I was worth something to Lorki, and he would almost undoubtedly come after me or try and capture me, so they saw some value in protecting me.

It was maddening having all these considerations swirling around my head, I was already becoming dogged with my own hauntings the more I saw images and heard resonances that brought memories of my traumatic days on Earth back. I couldn’t stand it any longer being kept out the loop and being blind to the events and machinations of those around me. Two things would have to be done. 

Firstly, the easier of the two to obtain but potentially more difficult to incorporate into my life, I had to convince James to purchase me a book on Alliance history. Despite the intense hatred I had for the Alliance I couldn’t deny my relation or past affiliation with Earth. It was part of my family, part of me. I wanted to at least properly educate myself in the history and events of the people who had saved my leg. I felt obligated to show them that respect at the least. Secondly, I had to learn why they were keeping me around. What use I was to them.

James complied with enthusiasm to my request, sitting me down in one of the social districts to rest my knee and admire the array of greenery that had been planted in memoriam of the fallen soldiers who had died in the war with the Reapers. There were rows and columns of trees I had seen before on other Terminus worlds, yet there lacked any discernible foliage that I instantly recognised. Until I reached a tree from my home world. A simple pine tree standing just over 20 feet in height, easily dwarfing the other trees from the other planets and races. I found myself occupied in the vague memories of my past all over again, thoughts of the forests outside the city filled with diverse greenery just like the Citadel was with its races, both tree and otherwise. It was an odd train of thought, but forced me into more and more recollections of my childhood the more I focused my vision towards it. I admit now that the view itself made me oddly homesick for Earth, if at least simply because I wished to indulge myself in my purer, happier memories than the ones of dread that kept me up at night.

 

The thoughts however, were brought to an abrupt close when James returned with a brown-leather covered book and the depiction of an Alliance coat of arms with the titling ‘Forged in Fire and Trust: The History of the Human Allied Systems Navy, as written by Admiral Hackett’ it looked beautiful with its gold fabric weaved into the brown leather in order to form the lettering and illustration. I tugged it to my chest more affectionately than I possibly should have shown to a book.

I couldn’t stop thinking of my Mother and Father. They were born, raised and ultimately died for the Alliance. I wondered if they would have let me follow them into the military given enough time. I always envied their fellow soldiers as they had always known and seen my parents more than I, even after their return to civilian life. I even envied them now despite the fact they were dead and I was still alive. I wanted to teach myself of the thing that my parents lived, loved and died for more than simply showing respect to James. I suppose I just liked to delude myself a little. Give myself justification rather than show weakness.

 

“Uh…Sky? Why are you crying?” James bent a knee down to me and at first I was incredulous towards his question, there should have been no way (other than the clutching of the book) that I was struggling with some kind of inner turmoil. Yet I was once again proven wrong as I brought the book from my chest to look at him better, only to hear the pang of the teardrops fall onto the cover below. 

I quickly wiped away the moisture from my eyes with my sleeve and refused to look at James, trying my upmost to look distant, almost furious with the accurate accusation. “I…” I didn’t know what to say. That I was in great distress over the moral epiphany I was having about the military I had once hated? That I was crying like a child over my lost parents? That all I wanted was Aria’s warm embrace to comfort me and for her to offer soft coos as to calm the raging ocean that was the emotions within my heart? 

Instead, James simply put his hand on my shoulder and gently squeezed it tight to remind me while the situation was far from my ideal, I was not alone. And I was grateful for that alone. “You know, I once had a Commanding officer. She made me realise a mistake I thought I made was the right call, that sacrifice is never fun but always necessary. Our regrets are the foundations for our strengths but sometimes you just gotta let that regret…go” there was wisdom in that, or so I thought at least. I had become a survivor and I had embraced my biotics all because of the regret of loss. The things I hated, the things I didn’t want to experience again had all helped to fuel the strength I had now. I was never blind to this fact and I have spoken about it before. But the more I spent with the likes of Garrus and James the more I was able to properly comprehend and almost…appreciate my origins in place of a better term.  
I smoothed out the cover of my new book and spread the moisture that had fallen from my eyes as I did so before managing a small smile down at the book. But the smile in truth was intended for James.

“Thank you Commander Vega, I may have been quick to judge you and the Alliance…perhaps…” I offered a small compromise of sorts, whilst not immediately forgiving the Alliance thanks to the grievances I carried in their part for leading my parents towards death, I could not come to hate all of their men and women who served as some (like the Officer James mentioned) sounded truly wonderful and intelligent philosophers. 

 

With that small philosophical outlook, caused by a tree and book, we decided that it was about time to return to the docking bay in order to board the ship James instructed me was waiting for us. It took us some time since I wanted to walk there on my own accord and forced us to stop because of pain and fatigue on my end. James did his best not to speak up about it or pick me up into his arms like I knew the chivalrous part of his brain demanded he do, for the sake of my pride of course.

Eventually over the course of just under and hour that should have taken 10 minutes, we reached the docking station where Garrus and I were previously attacked, except this time there weren’t any traps, no silence and no dead C-Sec officers. There was the low buzzing noise of professionalism from the immigration officers at their desks and the immigrants and travellers lingering in the waiting area by the side. 

I was so tired from the pain in my leg that I didn’t notice the ship directly ahead of me. I was far to fixated on reaching the railing by the glass fixture that separated us from space in order to prop myself against it and offer my weakened limb some small reprieve from what must have been a dangerous amount of exercise for it. 

James leaned against the same railing right next to me, expecting me to look surprised from the arrogant and egotistical smile on his face. Although once he noticed the beads of sweat forming along my brow he understood that I neither had the time to fuel his vanity or play such simple-minded games until I had something to sit on and take the weight off my leg. He pointed ahead of us, just off to the side.

“There it is…” I looked and saw what he was gesturing towards and my mouth dropped almost instantaneously. It had a long and slim silver design with black and blue as its secondary decals. Its width expanding towards the back with two wing-like sections branching off with engines of varying sizes hanging just underneath and along the wings. “That is the Normandy SR-2 and pinnacle of human-Turian co-construction. That ship has been home to at least 4 Spectres and many, many more legendary heroes from this generation.” James explained and looked fondly at the majesty that reflected light from all sides with its bright silver coating. 

“That is…wow.” Astounded by my discovery of the legendary vessel, I could barely articulate a response to it that wasn’t so mundane. I was in shock that the Alliance’s mobile command centre and most illustrious creation would be housed to me, a galactic criminal.

And yet, when James swung his arms under my legs and began carrying me towards the door that connected the room to the docking tube, I was well on my way. 

“W-What are you doing?!” I stammered, blushing, as I shrieked at the surprise as well as being ready to unleash biotics on him at any moment.

“Calm down Cielo, I’m just helping you aboard the ship” James quipped back smirking down at me and I simply rolled my eyes back at him before coking an eyebrow.

“’Cielo’?” I asked. The feeling of surprise and anger dimmed at his words and I reminded myself he was only trying to help.

“It means Sky in Spanish, I have some Latino heritage” James explained as he walked down the halls, me in his arms. If Aria had of seen this she would have killed us both. That thought made me laugh a little, she was always protective and controlling in both business and love.

“I’d prefer you not go around calling me names that aren’t mine.” I was teasing but there was an intended bite to my tone. To warn him against unnecessary, unwarranted and undesired titles.

“So how about you tell me your real name then?” His tone was a little more serious, the only thing I could infer is that he knew Sky Atlas didn’t really exist in a sense. It was just a title I used to give myself some recognisability, a name to be whispered in the shadows and feared by all.

“Your guess is as good as mine. I can’t remember it and any evidence to suggest what my name was has been burnt away with everything else in London. Good luck finding out…” I was perhaps a little snide in my comment and possibly deserved as much back but James only wore an uncomfortable and ashamed expression after hearing my words. That universal regret over innocent people suffering.

“With your permission, there might be something I can do about it by accessing restricted Alliances records…” James offered and for a moment I considered the idea. It might be nice to know who that young girl was that was so innocent, with dreams of being a Doctor who could help and heal people. But she didn’t deserve to be poisoned by a monster like me. Her perfect innocence would be corrupted, it was better she stayed lost in the annals of my mind.

“No thank you. I’m fine being Sky Atlas and nothing more.” I answered in a straightforward and uncompromising tone and proved to be enough so James spoke no more about the idea.

 

We entered through the airlock where we were greeted by a man in an Alliance uniform who seemed to be having an even harder time standing on his own two legs than I was, and that was hard to believe when you took into account practically everything between my knee and ankle had been completely shattered. 

“So this is Sky then James? Gotta say I didn’t think Veiled Goods would have a hard time taking down a girl who could barely stand.” He had a naturally brightness to him, a smartass tone to his voice that instructed anyone listening he wasn’t being serious about what he said. Though I loved a little back and forth to determine at what level we could really converse.

“Oh really now? And what makes you so special?”

“Well not to brag but I managed to evade the Collectors while they were kidnapping the entire crew of this ship and then I managed to pick up and shoot a rifle accurately enough to cover my commanding officer. You know, just an average day for a badass like me.” he actually made me laugh with his crude level of humour, and the thought of someone who could barely stand picking up a standard issue Alliance rifle and taking down Collectors.

“Well aren’t you a nice surprise? Where were you when Mercs were shooting my kneecap into dust so small I’m sure the Hubble couldn’t find it?” I jested, using an out of date telescope in reference to what little I remembered about Earth. The thought passed by that I should check through that history book as soon as possible.

“Telescopes aren’t used for objects that are small Miss Atlas, they’re meant for images that are far away” An electronic voice called from over to the cockpit of the Normandy and originally I was confused as to its existence and origin. Movement caught my vision and from one of the seats next to empty pilots rose a silver android that had the metal on its head styled and shaped to look like hair, whilst also being smoothed into a female form. 

James held up both hands in order to signal for a halt to the conversation “Hold up. Sky, this is Jeff "Joker" Moreau the pilot of the SR-2 Normandy-” James began his explanation of the robot and person in front of me.

“Best damn pilot in the entire Alliance, most likely the entire galaxy.” I wondered if everyone would be as cocky as this ‘Joker’ (I already understood the name by this point) and I dreaded the possibility.   
Though it wasn’t like they hadn’t earned the chance to be since only the most qualified could ever get aboard the Normandy. 

“Anyway…” James huffed in annoyance at the unwelcome, but from his expression I could see it was entirely expected, interruption from Joker “This is EDI, the ships artificial intelligence” James gestured towards the cybernetic and she seemed to smile warmly towards me before taking Joker’s hand in her own and entwined their fingers slowly and caressed his palm with her own before moving up against him slightly. It looked odd for a cyborg to act so compassionate and loving towards a human. I certainly hadn’t heard of one ever acting like this outside the Geth before.

Joker immediately brightened and had a dumb look of happiness as he stared directly at the floor.

“Jeff, my sensors indicate that you are having a chemical reaction akin to both happiness and embarrassment, could this be because of my actions that display our romantic involvement?” Joker’s jaw practically hit the floor from that comment, but even his display of shock from her words and the inability to form his own was nothing compared to the height of my eyebrows. Seriously, I think they made it higher from their natural position then Sputnik did from Earth. 

It wasn’t unheard of for someone to form an attachment to a fully-functioning AI, especially when they worked in a close proximity to each-other. But I had difficulty picturing the guy pick up a gun, let alone support a 200 to maybe 300 pound metal body on top of his. I wondered if she…if…she was capable of performing those actions. I didn’t know if it was…as anatomically correct as it seemed. 

‘Wouldn’t that only be the case if the person designing the body wanted it to have those abilities?’ I thought to myself just before realising how long I must have been considering the possibility and James looking at me like I had suffered some kind of neurological attack. I blushed slightly as my young mind got the better of me and tried to hide myself behind my hands.

“You seem to be having a harder time trying to process this then when you had to make the choice of unshackling me, are you okay Jeff?” EDI asked and once again I could only raise my eyebrows at the concept of someone unshackling an AI, usually that ended in death.

“What?!” I yelled.

“Yeah…kinda had some help evading and kicking the Collectors off the ship…” Joker admitted as he pointed to EDI, although I still felt like I was missing some critical piece of information.

“I would consider more accurate to say that if not entirely for me Jeff, the crew and this ship would have been lost to the Collectors. You merely pressed some buttons” she smiled and Joker looked slightly resentful of that comment “That was a joke”

“Not a good one…” Joker mumbled back.

James placed a single hand on my shoulder and huffed out a quick and definitive breath as if to signal that the conversation had run its course “Thanks guys, always fun with you two, but I gotta get Sky somewhere where she can rest up.” He patted me on the shoulder and took me in the opposite direction to the cockpit.

 

James showed me the CIC of the Normandy, from the cockpit was a long stretch of flooring with consoles and chairs stationed either side of it where the crewmen carried out their respective duties for the Normandy. The straight piece of flooring eventually divided around a table with more people working on consoles before reconnecting behind the table at the back of the room where the galaxy map was stationed, slightly elevated in contrast to the rest of the room, with what looked like an elevator behind it. 

Everywhere was constant work and noise, the crew were efficient and professional about their duties and yet they still seemed to find the time to casually chat with their fellow team. The consoles were a blur of orange and blue that helped to contrast against the dark silver and grey, it gave off the vibe of stealth and secrecy as well as power and intelligence. Everything the Normandy stood for. 

He took me to the elevator at the back of the room and noticed it was already descending before crossing his arms as we waited for it to meet us on the second floor. “I’ll take you to the crew quarters and find you a spare bunk, we’ll have one so don’t worry too much. Our Doctor is also on that floor so she’ll help you with the treatment of your knee. I wouldn’t expect you to see a whole lot of field action, but you know a lot about the Eclipse when it comes to hands on experience so it’ll be helpful for us if you could relay any useful knowledge you have about them.” James explained quickly.

That reminded me I had neglected asking James why the Alliance had taken an interest in protecting me, I had to learn it soon or the paranoia would eat me alive.

“Commander Vega-” I began to ask but all he did was chuckle.

“You don’t have to be so formal Cielo, just call me James” he insisted and all I did was roll my eyes, though I was internally grateful at not having to refer to him by such a mouthful. 

“Fine. James, why is it that the Alliance have an interest in protecting me?” I asked and he cocked his head to the side by the question “What? It should be fairly simple unless you weren’t given a reason”

“You didn’t know?” He said choosing to only cock and eyebrow instead of his whole head as he smiled.

“Know what?” I reiterated my ignorance.

“You suggested it. Dios Mio, the Alliance don’t even know you’re off the Citadel” I was confused, so much so that I couldn’t formulate a response for a moment.

“So you’re going rogue? AWOL? For me?”

“Sky, you asked Commander Bailey for someone above the law. A Spectre. The Normandy is the mobile Command centre of the Spectres for Council races. Everyone on here understands the information you and Liara uncovered about Veiled Goods and is acting independently to all systems, nations and races to put a stop to whatever their planning. When Garrus said he trusted you, the same goes for all of us too. That’s all there is to it Sky. We’re protecting you because we need to save the galaxy and put this threat to bed. And you’ve been standing in the middle of it and have enough incentive to want to end this. We trust you to help us.” Even to this day when I recall James’ explanation I still find it difficult to believe. The only reason I was here is because I fortunately stumbled onto a conspiracy to overtake my home and potentially the galaxy. People I didn’t know were trusting me to help them save the galaxy from a major threat. I was honoured. And extremely terrified.

“So this makes me…?”

“An honorary Spectre I suppose. We’re gonna need all the help we can get, even in the form of a girl who can’t stand straight.” James playfully nudged me with his fist and I smiled back.

“Thank you for having faith in me…I’ll try to live up to it I guess. I owe you that much.” As I finished my sentence the door for the elevator parted and both Garrus and the Asari who saved me stood in front of me.

“Hey there Sky, nice to finally see you up and about.” Garrus greeted me kindly, I could only imagine how guilty he would look if he could see the scar below the fabric I had tied around my knee. But whether it was for my own sake or his, he tried his best to simply look happy and not guilty about my wound.

“No thanks to your shooting, please tell me that you’ve dealt with ‘Veiled Goods’ already and are just taxying me back to Omega?” I jested knowing full well that there was to be no such look with our enemies.

Liara took a step closer and placed her hand on my shoulder while offering an encouraging smile “Unfortunately they’ve proven to be difficult to locate, that’s what makes them such a worthy adversary. But they’ve…made a move in recent days. We’ll catch you up once you’ve rested.” Liara stepped out the way and allowed both me and James to enter the elevator while they took residence outside.

“One step at a time Sky, we’ll sort these guys out before it gets out of hand.” Garrus spoke with assurance and I had faith whatever plan he had it would prove to be effective. The doors shut and it was just me and James again. He looked up to the ceiling of the elevator.

“EDI, take us to the crew quarters. And can you confirm we have a spare bunk for Sky?” He asked and the intercom immediately buzzed to life above us.

“Yes Staff Commander, there is a spare bunk in Engineer Adams, Donnelly and Daniels room.” EDI retorted quickly and all I could do was look surprised at the sudden sound of her voice.

“I thought she was in that cybernetic body?” I asked, and the intercom buzzed again.

“That is true Miss Atlas, but I am the Normandy’s AI. I technically reside in the ships internal systems and can manipulate the ships broadcast and tightbeam rays to control this body at distance. I use it to more adequately interact with organics. Thanks to its facial structure I can make expressions to help emphasise my sentences where I have been told I ‘Lack sufficient enough tone of voice in order to be understood seamlessly be all organics’” EDI explained and I nodded slowly.

“So…you’re everywhere…everywhere?” I reiterated my question, hoping she would understand the meaning of it.

“Yes, I have complete knowledge of the ship and it’s on goings, however, for the sake of privacy I delete information of more private moments immediately after seeing them so the crew don’t feel as if they’re being taken advantage of…unless it seems funny” I dropped my jaw at her comment “That was a joke” she added quickly and I crossed my arms. Her tone of voice was almost teasing and I began to second guess the certainty of her explanation about other organics lack of understanding when it came to her communication skills. 

“Not a good one…” I mused, chuckling at her attempt at humour. I was quickly becoming accustomed to this ship, I was slowly starting to forget my desire to use whatever means I could to reach Aria as quickly as possible. Now I wanted to take the smartest and most certain actions to help her; at that moment the Normandy was my best bet.


End file.
